Former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh is a lonely man these days. Bereft of political friends, he is trudging a weary path trying to retain his foothold in state politics.
Mr Singh’s fledgling Jan Kranti Party has yet to establish its presence in Uttar Pradesh and the veteran politicians has failed to turn it into a rallying point for backward votes, particularly Lodh votes.
After his second departure from the BJP on the eve of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Mr Singh has declared that along with the Samajwadi Party, he would “destroy and devastate” the BJP. His alliance with the Samajwadi Party cracked up after the SP lost the Ferozabad byelection and Mr Singh floated the Jan Kranti Party.
That Mr Singh no longer enjoys the undivided support of Lodh in central UP is evident from the fact that his own son Rajvir Singh had lost the Assembly polls from the Dibai Assembly seat in Bulandshahr in 2007.
“In 2007, the BJP was in disarray and the voters’ mood was in the BSP’s favour. We could not assess the undercurrents and it was because of this that Rajvir Singh lost, said Randhir Rajput, a Kalyan loyalist from Dibai.
Mr Kalyan Singh’s daughter-in-law Premlata, however, had won the Atrauli seat in Aligarh on the BJP ticket in 2007. Interestingly, she did not quit the BJP when Mr Kalyan Singh parted ways in 2009 and remained with the party. This time, however, she is contesting on the Jan Kranti Party ticket.
For Mr Singh, winning, at least two, seats — Dibai for Rajvir Singh and Atrauli for Premlata — is a matter of personal prestige. Both the seats are dominated by Lodh votes and his victory will re-establish his credential as the undisputed leader of Lodhs.
Mr Singh’s former acolyte, Sakshi Maharaj, who is contesting the Bhognipur seat in Kanpur Dehat on a BJP ticket, begs to differ.
“Lodhs are not bound to any one leader. What has Kalyan Singh done for the community and why should they remain servile to him? He has a history of betrayal,” said Sakshi Maharaj.