Moradabad

Almost equally split between rural and urban voters, Moradabad is an important constituency in Western UP. With almost 20 lakh voters, it has a high concentration of Muslim population, at more than 46%. Samajwadi Party’s Dr ST Hasan is a current MP from this seat after winning with a margin of one lakh votes, however, he has not been officially named as the SP candidate this time. The party leadership has chosen Azam Khan’s confidante Ruchi Vira, snubbing its sitting MP, which has caused some irritation in the party. The BSP has fielded its own candidate Irfan Saifi from the seat. The BJP is repeating its 2019 candidate Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh who came in second with 43% of vote share.<br><br>Farmers issues are a key problem in the seat as encounters with wild animals are common. Heavy rains and floods during the monsoons damage crops leaving farmers in the lurch. Moradabad also saw the participation of its farmers in the farmers’ protests. The seat is also prone to communal polarisation. The memory of the 1980 Moradabad riots continues to be a talking point during the election campaign of the SP. Moradabad has a prominent brass industry which employs nearly five lakh people. However, this industry has seen demand decline over the years and the use of coal-based furnaces has been discouraged by the government, which has further dented the industry’s future projections. The administration is now chalking out a plan to promote the use of natural gas-based furnaces. The industry is witnessing a quiet exodus of labour and artisanal talent owing to declining profits.