Dhaurahara Lok Sabha seat: BJP's Rekha Sharma seeks third term; BSP nominates BJP turncoat Shyam Kishor

Dhuarahara (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 12 (ANI): In the heartland of Uttar Pradesh, lies the constituency of Dhaurahara, a region affected by floods.
Established post-delimitation in 2008, Dhaurahra has emerged as one of the 250 most backward districts in the country. One of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, this constituency is spread over Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur districts.
The parliamentary seat of Dhourahara came into existence after separating from Shahjahanpur. Dhourahara parliamentary constituency comprises a total of 5 assembly seats including Dhourahara, Kasta, Mohammadi, Mohali, and Hargaon.
With the first elections held in 2009, Jitin Prasada, son of Congress leader Jitendra Prasada, emerged victorious. However, the 2014 wave swept away Prasada with the BJP's Rekha Verma securing a decisive victory, capitalizing on the Modi wave.
In the 2019 elections, Dhaurahra witnessed a fiercely contested battle, with eight candidates vying for the seat. Rekha Verma of the BJP clinched victory with over 512,000 votes, followed closely by BSP's Arshad Ilyas Siddiqui with 352,000 votes, while Jitin Prasada trailed with 162,000 votes.
In 2014, Rekha Verma won in Dhaurahra with a strong 34pc of the votes, riding the wave of support for PM Modi. She had tough competition from BSP, SP, and Congress candidates. Daud Ahmad from the BSP emerged as the runner-up, closely trailing behind the leading candidate. However, the difference in votes between the two competitors amounted to a significant margin of 125,675.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has once again fielded Rekha Verma, SP has nominated Anand Bhadauria and the BSP has put forward Shyam Kishor Avasthi as its candidate for the seat.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted rallies in the region to garner votes for BJP candidate Rekha Verma.
BSP candidate Shyam Kishor Avasthi recently shifted allegiance from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Awasthi is banking on the support of the robust BSP cadre in the constituency as well as his strong backing from the community.
Voting for the two Lok Sabha constituencies of Lakhimpur Kheri district, Kheri and Dhaurahra, is set to take place on May 13 in Phase four of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)