Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Samajwadi Party (SP) led by former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will contest on Madhya Pradesh's Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat as per the seat-sharing pact with the Congress under Opposition's I.N.D.I.A bloc alliance. The Lok Sabha elections are due in April-May this year.
The announcement came as both the parties finalised seat-sharing in UP. As per the seat-sharing pact, Akhilesh's SP along with other alliance partners will contest on 63 seats while the Congress will contest on 17.
In Madhya Pradesh, SP will contest on Khajuraho seat while remaining will be contested by the Congress.
Samajwadi Party will contest on Khajuraho seat despite having no track-record of winning this Lok Sabha seat in the past, so the question which arises here is why Congress gave up Khajuraho for Akhilesh's party despite having greater vote share in past Lok Sabha elections, let's take a look at possible scenarios.
Khajuraho touches UP border
One reason why Samajwadi Party has been alloted Khajuraho seat could be that since the district touches the Uttar Pradesh border and given the fact that SP has had a stronghold in the state, the Congress has given up on this seat.
SP wants to improve foot-print in Madhya Pradesh
Another reason which could be behind SP contesting from Khajuraho is that the party wants to improve its foot-hold in the state and wants to consolidate in Khajuraho since it touches the Uttar Pradesh border, where it has been in power several times.
According to reports, during Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections which concluded in December 2023, Samajwadi Party brought a big plot in Khajuraho to set up its second office in the state. The party already has one in Bhopal.
Buying the land and having plans to set up party office signals that the SP may have long-term plans for the state and wants to start from Khajuraho.
A look at Samajwadi Party's vote share in previous Lok Sabha elections
2019 Lok Sabha Elections
Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Veer Singh Patel received 40,077 votes with a vote share of 3.18 per cent in Khajuraho.
Congress candidate Maharani Kavita Singh Natiraja received 3,18,753 votes with a vote share of 25.33 per cent in Khajuraho.
BJP Vishnu Datt Sharma won the Khajuraho constituency with 8,11,135 votes (64.46 per cent). Sharma defeated Natiraja by 4,92,382 votes.
2014 Lok Sabha Elections
SP candidate Siddharth Sukhlal Kushwaha received 40,069 votes with a vote share of 4.58 per cent in Khajuraho.
Congress candidate Raja Pateria received 2,27,476 votes with a vote share of 26.01 per cent in Khajuraho.
BJP Nagendra Singh won the Khajuraho constituency with 4,74,966 votes (54.31 per cent). Singh defeated Pateria by 2,47,490 votes.
2009 Lok Sabha Elections
SP candidate Jayawant Singh received 20,045 votes with a vote share of 3.44 per cent in Khajuraho.
Congress candidate Raja Pateria received 2,01,037 votes with a vote share of 34.47 per cent in Khajuraho.
BJP Jeetendra Singh Bundela won the Khajuraho constituency with 2,29,369 votes (39.33 per cent). Bundela defeated Pateria by 28,332 votes.
2004 Lok Sabha Elections
Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Ashok Vir Vikram Singh Bhaiya Raja received 1,17,639 votes in Khajuraho.
Congress candidate Satyavrat Chaturvedi received 2,20,677 votes in Khajuraho.
BJP Dr Ramkrishna Kusmariya won the Khajuraho constituency with 3,32,458 votes. Kusmariya defeated Chaturvedi by 1,11,781 votes.
1999 Lok Sabha Elections
Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Surendra Pratap Singh Bundela received 86,621 votes with a vote share of 11.8 per cent in Khajuraho.
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Akhand Pratap Singh Yadav received 2,54,724 votes with a vote share of 34.71 per cent in Khajuraho.
Congress candidate Satyavrat Chaturvedi won the Khajuraho constituency with 3,35,861 votes (45.77 per cent). Chaturvedi defeated Yadav by 81,137 votes.
How Samajwadi Party performed in Khajuraho Assembly segments in recently concluded MP Assembly polls
There are eight Assembly constituencies under the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency: Chandla, Rajnagar, Pawai, Panna, Gunnaor, Murwara, Bahoriband and Vijayraghavgarh. The BJP won all these seats in the recently held Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections. However, the Samajwadi Party (SP) performed reasonably well in Chandla and Bahoriband constituencies. Party candidate Pushpendra Kumar Ahirwar received 24,977 votes in Chandla with a vote share of 15.47 per cent. SP's another candidate Shankar Mahto received 21,598 votes in Bahoriband with a vote share of 10.79 per cent.
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