Aradhana Mishra is riding on the popularity of her father and old Congress warhorse Pramod Tiwari to retain the Rampur Khas assembly seat in the Uttar Pradesh elections.
But this time the battle is tough with the belligerent BJP determined to tumble the Congress fort after 42 years.
Mishra had won the Rampur Khas seat in a by-election in 2014 and then again in the 2017 assembly polls, continuing from her father who has been a legislator from the constituency for consecutive nine terms since 1980.
The Rampur Khas has always remained loyal to the Congress, but in the last assembly elections, the BJP had zeroed in on and narrowed the victory margin of Mishra.
Mishra (47), fondly called ‘Mona’, is hopeful that she will make a “hat-trick” by emerging victorious once again.
"This is my home and even in the most difficult times, it has remained with us. When my father fought the first election in 1980, I had sought votes for him from the locals whom I often meet in the constituency even today," Mishra, who is busy with her campaigning, said.
Polling for the Rampur Khas seat will be held on February 27.
Mishra was given the responsibility of the seat after the party decided to send Tiwari to the Rajya Sabha in 2014.
BJP candidate from Rampur Khas Nagesh Pratap Singh alias ‘Chote Sarkar’ had given a tight fight to Mishra in the 2017 elections and reduced her victory margin to 17,000.
Singh says this time the fight is for the freedom of Rampur Khas and its people from the Congress’ rule of 42 years.
"I hope that 'pariwarwad' and 'vanshwad' will come to an end this time," he said.
When people will bid adieu (vidai) to 'baap-beti' (father-daughter), everyone in the constituency will be happy, Singh said.
“We have to be sure that there is no mistake on the polling day. I will be with the people 24 hours a day and corruption and loot will come to an end," he said.
Rampur Khas has an electorate of over 2.78 lakh, including around 46,000 Brahmins, 40,000 Kshatriyas, 44,000 Yadavs, 40,000 Kurmis, 24,000 Muslims and 50,000 Dalits, among others.
The seat is set for a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP contest.
The Samajwadi Party has not fielded any candidate against Mishra.
With an eye on the Kurmi vote bank, the BSP has fielded Bankey Lal Patel from the seat.
About the BJP candidate's electioneering centering around ending 'pariwarwad' (dynastic politics), Mishra in an election meeting in Bhatni recently remarked that both she and her father have “not ruled but served” the people of Rampur Khas.
"My opponents allege that my father has ruled over Rampur Khas for 37 years, we have served (the people) and not ruled (over them),” she said.
Brijesh Dwivedi, Mishra's office in-charge, said, "It was Modi wave in the 2017 assembly polls but the situation this time is different. The elections here are fought on the name of Netaji (Pramod Tiwari)."
"Even BJP workers say 'Yogi zaroori UP ke liye, Mona zaroori Rampur Khas ke liye' (CM Yogi for UP, Mona for Rampur Khas)," he claimed.
Last year’s incident when BJP's Pratapgarh MP Sangam Lal Gupta accused Tiwari of leading a mob of his party workers to beat him up and his party's activists during a social function in Sangipur block of the district, following which police registered a case against 27 persons, including the Congress leader and his daughter, is also an issue in Rampur Khas.
Mishra speaks about it in election meetings and seeks justice while terming it an attempt to tarnish the “clean image” of Tiwari spanning 42 years.
Tiwari said, "They cannot defeat us and so they had worked out this plan that if a strong case is filed against us we will not be able to contest and they will win the seat but inquiry found the charges were false and the case was withdrawn."
Tiwari (69), who has been a nine-time MLA from Rampur Khas, got his name in the Guinness Book of Worlds Records when he won the seat for the seventh time in a row on the ticket of the same party and same symbol.
Satisfied with the development in the area, Pradip Baudh, a local youth remarked, "Once you enter the constituency you see that roads and other things are much better here."
"Here people vote for work being done by a candidate and nothing else, not even in the name of Lord Ram or Lord Krishna," another local Rakesh Kumar said.
