Three-and-half decade after it got its identity as urban industrial hub, Noida, following delimitation, has finally come into a political scene. On February 28, Noida for the first time will be electing its own representative for Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

Prestige of Congress, BJP and BSP is at stake in Noida Assembly seat. Besides selecting candidate for the party, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi had last year started his campaign for Uttar Pradesh from the twin villages of Bhatta and Parsaul neighbouring Jevar seat. Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit Jevar on February 23 while BSP supremo Mayawati is scheduled to visit Noida on the same day. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had already addressed a rally for BJP candidate in the city.

With the profile of the seat changing, the issues have also undergone metamorphosis. As civic and other urban issues are creating the electoral buzz, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Dr Mahesh Sharma, who started the famous Kailash Hospital decades ago, is locked in a close contest with Congress scion Rahul Gandhi’s hand picked candidate Dr VS Chauhan, an Orthopaedic surgeon and chairman of Prakash Hospital. For Sharma and Chauhan, two business rivals, the UP Assembly polls is just an extension of the rivalry they have shared over the years as the owners of the two leading hospitals in Noida.

BJP candidate Dr Mahesh Sharma entered politics for the first-time with the general election of 2009 when he was given a ticket by the BJP to contest from the newly-carved parliamentary constituency of Gautam Budh Nagar. Sharma, however, lost to BSP candidate, Surendra Nagar, by a meagre margin of around 14,000 votes. However, he had secured more number of votes than his rival in the Noida segment. Considering this factor, the BJP leadership has fielded Sharma for the Assembly seat. On the other hand, Congress decided to choose a doctor, who was among the five other candidates interviewed by Congress scion Rahul Gandhi for the seat. Chauhan is facing opposition from within the party and is being dubbed as an outsider by party workers. Chauhan earlier in the week addressed a Press conference with all dissidents’ party leaders and tried to convey a message that everything was fine within the party. Samajwadi Party candidate Sunil Choudhury and Bahuajan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Om Dutt Sharma are also in the fray.

Since the population is predominantly urban, the parties have fielded candidates who can make an immediate connect with the voters. The candidates on their part have resorted to various methods to establish that connect, like door-to-door campaigns in residential sectors, daily meetings with RWAs and sending catchy text messages to appeal the urban voters.

There are about 145 sectors in Noida, of these 100 are densely populated. The constituency has around 3.02 lakh urban voters and another 1.30 lakh rural residents living in the ‘urbanised’ villages. Keeping in mind the substantial urban vote base, political parties have modified their campaign. Instead of the usual promises, they have decided to focus on issues like quality of water supply, sanitation, power and law and order in the city. For the rural segments, issues like land acquisition and compensation still ring a bell.

In the rural segment, the Noida Assembly seat has strong presence of Gujjar, Brahmin, Muslim, Thakur and Yadav communities. Keeping in view the profile of the seat, BJP and BSP have fielded Brahmin candidates while Congress has fielded a Thakur. Choudhury, the SP candidate is from Gujjar community. However, Congress and BJP have been careful in keeping the urban appeal of their candidates in their mind while allotting them party ticket.

Caste factor will play an important role for the Noida Assembly seat. BSP and SP are concentrating their election campaign in rural areas, JJ-clusters and unauthorised colonies in the district as previous elections have shown that 65 per cent of the votes cast are from these areas.

Congress candidate Dr VS Chauhan told The Pioneer that the demands and needs of those living in the villages are different from those living in urban and developed sectors. “Hence, besides meeting the villagers, I make it a point to meet RWA members and residents of the urban sectors each day,” Chauhan added.

To counter the heavyweights Congress and BJP, BSP candidate Om Dutt Sharma, has been stressing on his party’s past efforts in bringing about development. “Behan Mayawati has started two Government schools and two multi-specialty hospitals in Noida and Greater Noida,” a BSP leader said. He doesn’t mention about the huge park built by the BSP Government in his interactions.