Congress' Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, pitted against Union Minister and Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel for the Mirzapur Lok Sabha seat, is confident of winning as promises of bringing industrial development in the district have not been fulfilled.
Lalitesh Tripathi is the great-grandson of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Union Minister Kamalapati Tripathi.
Speaking to IANS, he said: "Anupriya Patel has not worked in the district and neglected it despite being the Union Minister."
He said that people in Mirzapur have got the impression that despite being in power for five years she has not done any work on the ground be it in education, health or in any other field.
Lamenting about Patel, who is the Union Minister of State for Health, the Congress leader said: "The promises which the BJP government at the Centre and the state made to the people that industrial development will take place has not happened."
"Instead of that, the carpet industry, brassware and stone industries are shutting down because of the policies of the government," he said.
Mirzapur is known for its carpets and brassware industries, while Chunar, a small town in the district, is noted for stone manufacturing. Mirzapur city is surrounded by several hills and is also famous for the highly revered holy shrine in nearby Vindhyachal.
Hitting out at Prime MInister Narendra Modi, Tripathi said: "In 2014, when Modi ji came here, he said that he will ensure that the industries of Mirzapur start functioning..but can he tell how many industyries have started here?"
"Injustice has been done to Mirzapur despite the BJP governments at the Centre and the state," he said.
Asked why people would vote for him in the ongoing elections, Tripathi said Patel was unable to connect with the people.
"She was available only among some selected people. And only the work suggested by those select people were done in the district. Due to such behaviour, even her party workers are also not happy," he said.
To a question whether Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's visit to Mirzapur has changed the narrative in the elections, he replied: "In the beginning of the election campaign she gave a strong message from Mirzapur."
He was referring to Priyanka Gandhi's three-day 140-km long Ganga river boat ride programme from Prayagraj to Varanasi via Mirzapur.
"She has visited a number of villages on the banks of river Ganga and has made people aware of the anti-people policy of this government," he said, adding that she galvanised the party workers here.
Tripathi said that Priyanka Gandhi had also shown that the fight will be tough this time, while one cannot any more ignore the people of the constituency and had to come to the ground among the voters.
The Congress leader also said that the former Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha MP Bal Kunwar Patel's (who belongs to the Kurmi community) joining the party has boosted its chances in the elections.
The elections in Mirzapur are scheduled for the seventh phase on May 19. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.
(Anand Singh can be reached at anand.s@ians.in)
--IANS
aks/bc
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