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Meerut, which is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, is set to go on polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26.
The Meerut Lok Sabha seat is likely to see a triangular contest among the BJP, the Opposition INDIA bloc and the Bahujan Samaj Party. The Bharatiya Janata Party has replaced three-term MP Rajendra Agarwal and pitted Ramayana actor Arun Govil against Samajwadi Party's Sunita Verma and BSP's Devratt Kumar. Sunita Verma and her husband, Yogesh Verma, who were expelled from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 2019, joined the Samajwadi Party in 2021. Yogesh Verma was elected MLA for two terms--2007 and 2012--on a BSP ticket but lost in the 2022 assembly elections as an SP candidate. His wife, Sunita, became mayor in 2017. The BJP is relying on Arun Govil's popularity as the actor who portrayed Ram in the immensely popular "Ramayana" series, as well as his status as a local resident, for their campaign strategy. Govil had campaigned for Congress earlier, but it took him decades to take a plunge into active politics. Upon receiving the ticket from Meerut Lok Sabha constituency, Thanking Prime Minister Modi, Govil in a post on X wrote, "Heartfelt gratitude to Shri Narendra Modi ji and the selection committee who have given me such a big responsibility by making me the MP candidate of Meerut. I will make every effort to fully live up to the trust of the BJP and the expectations of the people. Jai Shri Ram." In the 2019 General elections, Rajendra Agarwal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured victory with 586,184 votes, surpassing Haji Mohammad Yaqoob of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Similarly, in the 2014 elections, Rajendra Agarwal secured victory with 532,981 votes, defeating BSP candidate Mohammad Shahid Akhlak. (ANI)
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