Shah returns to the forefront of UP campaign with Kairana visit

Starting with a door-to-door campaign in Kairana, a constituency that has figured prominently in the Bharatiya Janata Party's election discourse in Uttar Pradesh, Union home minister Amit Shah has signalled he is back in the saddle in the poll-bound state.

Smriti Kak Ramachandran and S Raju

NEW DELHI/MEERUT: Shah, who has been helming talks with allies, ironing out differences within the party unit, and lending an ear to disgruntled party workers, besides playing a key role in ticket distribution, will now be actively campaigning in the state, according to functionaries aware of the developments. He was in charge of the party's campaign in the state in the 2014 election, when it won 71 of the 80 seats Lok Sabha seats.

Shah has hit the ground along with party president JP Nadda, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, and state unit president Swatantra Dev Singh to mobilise support for the party at a time when large gatherings and rallies are prohibited (and will remain so till January 31). He is expected to address small groups and call on voters in door-to-door campaigns.

"The choice of Kairana as the starting point for his campaign shows he's invested in mobilising support and encouraging workers in the western part of the state, which is perceived as a challenging demographic for the party," said a party functionary who asked not to be named.

Kairana, where the Bharatiya Janata Party's then MP Hukum Singh alleged an exodus of Hindu families, goes to polls on February 10. Shah met some of these families that moved out following alleged communal tension in the area in 2017. Singh's daughter Mriganka Singh is the party's candidate in the constituency.