Past trends show Kasganj seat in UP has key for govt formation

Kasganj (Uttar Pradesh) [India] February 11 : In the city of temples locals believe that whoever wins in Kasganj forms the government in Lucknow even while the constituency has never been a stronghold of any political party.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had won Kasganj seat in 2007 when the party formed the government in the state. In 2007 the BSP's Hasrat Ullah Sherwani had won the seat, but Samajwadi Party (SP) wrested the constituency in 2012 when the party came to power in the state. Sherwani had lost to SP's Manpal Singh in 2012.
In 2017 when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government the party's candidate Devendra Singh Rajput won by a margin of over 49,000 votes against SP's Manpal Singh.
Kasganj, a city and the district headquarters of Kasganj district, lies in the 'Braj region'. Braj, was known as 'Khasganj' during the Mughal and British periods.
Prominent farmer's leader Kuldeep Pandey will be seen contesting for congress against BJP's sitting MLA Devendra Singh Rajput from the key battleground in UP.
Former MLA Manpal Singh has got tickets from SP whereas party worker Prabhudayal Verma is the nominee of the BSP.
Since the 1977 elections in Uttar Pradesh, BJP won four times and Samajwadi Party two times from the Kasganj constituency.
There are 715 villages, 10 municipal corporations in Kasganj. According to the last Census, the population is 14,36,719 and has a 61 per cent literacy rate.
The seven phased Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh commenced on February 10. The rest six phases for the state assembly are scheduled for February 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3, and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.