Dhananjay Singh, former Jaunpur MP. File pic/PTI
A neighborhood court docket in Jaunpur on Wednesday sentenced the previous MP to seven years of imprisonment moreover a penalty of Rs 50,000 in a case of kidnapping a UP Jal Nigam undertaking supervisor. After Dhananjay Singh’s conviction and jail time period, political analysts say successful the Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat must be a cakewalk for BJP candidate Kripashankar Singh
The conviction of former Member of Parliament (MP) from Jaunpur and east Uttar Pradesh (UP) strongman Dhananjay Singh in a case of kidnapping and extortion has not solely dashed his plans of contesting the Lok Sabha polls from the realm as an impartial candidate however will affect the caste equations in the constituency the place the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Maharashtra’s former junior dwelling minister Kripashankar Singh.
UP’s political analysts known as Dhananjay’s conviction a giant benefit for the BJP. A neighborhood court docket in Jaunpur on Wednesday sentenced the previous MP to seven years of imprisonment moreover a penalty of Rs 50,000 in a case of kidnapping a UP Jal Nigam undertaking supervisor.
The starting
“Jitega Jaunpur, Jitenge hum, Aapka Dhananjay, Jaunpur Lok Sabha-73 (Jaunpur will win, so will we, your own Dhananjay, Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat)”–reads a poster shared by Dhannajay Singh himself on his wall on social media website X. Dhananjay’s submit, dated March 2, 2024, additional states that “Sathiyon Taiyar Rahiye, Lakshya Bas Ek-Lok Sabha 73 Jaunpur (friends, be prepared, the target is only one, Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat). Singh’s post, which got more than 6 lakh views and over 7,000 likes was posted on the day the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of candidates from UP’s 51 Lok Sabha seats, including the name of former Congress leader Kripa Shankar Singh for Jaunpur. Dhananjay’s post, however, reflected strong electoral aspirations.
But four days later, an MP/MLA court convicted Dhananjay and his aide Santosh Vikram Singh in the kidnapping case, and, on Wednesday, the court awarded him a seven-year jail sentence. Unless a higher court stays the conviction, Dhananjay’s poll plans for Jaunpur are effectively dashed, a development that should benefit the BJP. “I am being framed in a fake case. Will challenge the lower court’s order in the higher court,” stated Dhananjay Singh quickly after he was arrested following the MP/MLA court docket’s order. Under the Representation of the People Act, the sentence makes him ineligible to contest the election.
Jaunpur constituency in focus
Dhananjay, who held the place of nationwide normal secretary in Janata Dal (United), lately introduced his plans for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and was in talks with the INDIA bloc. His political profession blossomed in 2002 when he registered a thumping win throughout the UP meeting elections from the Rari meeting seat in Jaunpur as an impartial candidate. He retained the seat in 2007 as a JD(U) candidate. In 2009, he gained as an MP on a BSP ticket and bought his father Raj Deo to contest and win Malhani, which he vacated. In 2014, Dhananjay contested the Lok Sabha polls as an impartial candidate and secured round 64,000 votes, however misplaced to the BJP. He, nevertheless, continued to contest, first in the meeting polls in 2017 on a Nishad Party ticket, then in the 2020 meeting bypolls and the 2022 meeting polls from the Malhani seat as a JD(U), however didn’t win.
In the 2022 meeting polls, Dhananjay bought a formidable 68,838 votes after he contested as an impartial candidate from Malhani in Jaunpur. In 2023, his spouse Srikala D Singh grew to become the zila panchayat chairman, however BJP leaders stated that the get together didn’t contest the seat.
After Dhananjay Singh’s conviction, political analysts say successful the Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat must be a cakewalk for the BJP. “Dhananajay Singh has worked exceptionally hard in Jaunpur and has a sizable political clout that supports him whenever he contests. The fact was proved many times when Singh won even while contesting as an independent candidate. In the 2022 assembly polls, Dhananjay, who contested as an independent candidate from Jaunpur’s Malhani seat, bagged around 69,000 votes. This was despite his eventual loss to Samajwadi Party candidate Lucky Yadav. Dhananjay showcased his clout by pushing the BJP and the BSP below him. It shows his strong voter base in the constituency,” stated Shashikant Pandey, head of the political science division at Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow.
After Dhananjay’s conviction, he stated, the election goes to Modi vs Rest, and the candidate as a person hardly issues, which might profit Kripashankar Singh. “Jaunpur will aid BJP’s 400 paar (over 400) seat goal nationally,” Kripashankar had stated after being named the get together choose on the seat the place the Samajwadi Party is but to call its candidate.
