Moradabad : In the Moradabad Division, which comprises six Lok Sabha constituencies, there is a noticeable lack of female representation within the Parliament. This absence aligns with the overarching pattern in the political sphere of the region, where no women have vied for candidacy across any political parties since 1952.
The seat is currently held by ST Hasan of the Samajwadi Party (SP). Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is represented by Irfan Saifi for the same seat.
Ruchi Veera, backed by the SP, is optimistic about her victory, pledging to uphold the Constitution and tackle issues such as unemployment and inflation. The BSP’s contender Saifi poses a significant challenge to both the BJP and SP in this electoral contest.
On April 8, Veera faced legal action for purportedly addressing an assembly at a residence “without prior authorization,” thus contravening the Model Code of Conduct. Her discourse took place at a gathering of 40–50 individuals on a Friday night in the Deputy Ganj Crossing area of Moradabad town.
An FIR was filed against Veera, who labeled the move as “political retaliation.” Reports indicated that Umakant Gupta, the homeowner, also faced charges under Sections 171-E (electoral bribery) and 171-F (electoral manipulation and impersonation) of the IPC following a complaint lodged by Umesh Kumar Trivedi, the leader of the flying surveillance team (FST).
For the first time in 72 years, a female candidate is competing in this district. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) representative Kunwar Sarvesh Singh is contending for the fourth successive time.
In 1962, an independent candidate secured a seat in the Lok Sabha through victory. The Jan Sangh party also succeeded twice.
Moradabad, established by Rustam Khan in 1625, is globally recognized as the ‘Brass City’. Historically, this locale was called Chaupal and later renamed Moradabad in honor of Shahjahan’s offspring, Murad.
The city encompasses 3,718 square meters along the Ramganga River’s banks. Moradabad’s total populace is around 41 lakh, with 54.29 percent male and 45.70 percent female residents.
Following a new delimitation in 2009, the Kundarki and Bilari Assembly constituencies were shifted to the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat, while the Badhapur assembly segment from Bijnor district was integrated into the Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha election, BJP’s Singh was defeated by Congress nominee and former Indian cricket captain M Azharuddin. In 2014, Singh claimed victory with 43 percent of the vote. However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Singh maintained 43 percent of the vote but ultimately lost.
During the 2019 elections, the BSP-SP alliance nominee ST Hasan secured the seat with 50.64 percent of the vote. Once more, the SP is aligned with Congress, and former Bijnor district MLA Ruchi Veera has been granted candidacy. Veera previously won the by-election in 2014 by running for Bijnor as an SP candidate.
The Moradabad Lok Sabha seat’s electorate comprises 52 percent Hindus and 47 percent Muslims, with the latter holding sway as the key deciding group in this constituency.
