00:00 We are in Saharanpur of Uttar Pradesh where the battle for 2024 Lok Sabha elections has
00:09 heated up.
00:10 Today we are sitting with the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Mr. Raghav Lakanpal.
00:14 He has been an MP from this seat before and is very well versed with the politics of Saharanpur.
00:19 Let us find out from Mr. Lakanpal, what are the biggest issues in Saharanpur that we are
00:24 seeing this time and why is Saharanpur such an important constituency for the party?
00:29 Every constituency is important but Saharanpur has its significance because it borders with
00:34 three states and it is seat number one of UP.
00:38 It is a very important trading point and it has always been a hotbed of political activity
00:48 as well as a lot of business, lot of activism.
00:53 So Saharanpur has its significance.
00:56 What is the biggest voting factor in Saharanpur?
00:58 From what we understand, its caste, its religion, what got into you is the factor that people
01:03 vote on actually?
01:06 There is a certain section that would prefer to vote on caste lines but I think that has
01:11 changed now with the Prime Minister's constant efforts to uplift the weaker sections of society,
01:20 financially weak and otherwise backward.
01:24 I think it is going to be a game changer this election because people are going to go all
01:30 out to support the Prime Minister.
01:34 This seat was held by the BJP before earlier and in 2019 it went to the SP and BSP, SP
01:39 already combined.
01:40 What is the difference in BJP's strategy this time to take the seat?
01:44 Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, that is our plank.
01:47 That is what we have worked on and that is what is going to make us win this seat by
01:51 a huge margin this time.
01:52 It is really going to be very different this election.
01:55 We are going to win by a huge margin.
01:59 This is a minority dominated seat.
02:01 This is a minority dominated seat.
02:04 Both the Congress as well as the BSP are fielded minority candidates.
02:07 Is that something that the BJP is worried about?
02:10 No, we don't really look at those things.
02:13 There is a thing called political arithmetic as they call it Samikaran in Hindi.
02:19 But I don't think that is going to matter in this particular election.
02:23 This election is all about the work that we have done.
02:26 The Honorable Prime Minister, the Honorable Chief Minister, they put their entire efforts
02:35 into ensuring that schemes that are specifically laid down for the poor actually benefit them.
02:42 So that is what people are seeing now and they are going to vote.
02:46 They are not going to look at caste and other things.
02:49 They are going to vote on the basis of that.
02:51 This region saw violence clashes in 2017 as well as a little bit in 2018 which were caste based clashes.
02:58 What is the situation now between the communities?
03:00 What is the social fabric right now in Sahar?
03:02 No, no, everything is very peaceful.
03:04 And ever since Yogi ji has been Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh, we have not really had communal tensions.
03:13 We have not had curfews.
03:15 Everything has been very peaceful here.
03:18 People want to go about and do their work and do their business.
03:22 They want employment opportunities.
03:25 They want to carry on with whatever they are doing, with their jobs.
03:29 So, law and order situation has really, really improved post 2017 in UP.
03:36 You have also adopted a village, the Shapirpur village which at that time was at the epicenter of the violence.
03:42 What kind of work has been done in Shapirpur by you?
03:44 Look, Shapirpur, we adopted right before the Lok Sabha elections.
03:48 And then I couldn't win that election.
03:53 But I adopted this village called Satpura.
03:56 And it was, it's in a very backward region.
03:59 And it's very dependent on, you know, what nature gives it.
04:05 So, we ensured that all, a water tank was made, water supply was ensured.
04:12 Roads were constructed within the village.
04:15 Many other works that were done, even in fact I visited that village about a week back.
04:20 And they were all still very happy.
04:22 So, I told them, I said, there's still more to be done.
04:24 And we'll do it together.
04:25 Right.
04:26 Just one last question.
04:27 How is the Vatikanta Party going to ensure safe campaigning this time and safe elections this time?
04:31 What is your strategy for that?
04:32 Like it does every time.
04:34 I think we put all the systems into place.
04:38 Honorable Modi ji and Honorable Home Minister Amit Shah ji are extremely meticulous when it comes to ensuring that things are done systematically.
04:47 So, the election commission in itself, I think has got its thing in order.
04:55 So, everything will go very well.
04:57 That was Mr. Lakanpal with us.
05:00 Stay tuned with Outlook for more on elections from Uttar Pradesh.
05:03 Thank you.
05:04 (dramatic music)
05:06 (dramatic music)
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