Bachchan’s Historic Victory Remembered as Congress Ends 40-Year Dry Spell in Allahabad

The recently announced election results shocked many, with numerous surprise losers and unexpected winners. One such victor was Congress candidate Ujjwal Raman Singh, who secured the Allahabad Lok Sabha seat, breaking a 40-year dry spell in the constituency. The last time Congress won this seat was when its MP was the megastar, Amitabh Bachchan.

Who is Ujjwal Raman Singh?

Singh is the son of senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former MP Rewati Raman Singh. Previosuly a part of SP, he has earlier been elected MLA and has also served in the Uttar Pradesh government led by Mulayam Singh Yadav between 2004 and 2007. He joined the Congress earlier this year, reportedly after it became clear that the Allahabad Lok Sabha seat will go to the Congress as part of the seat-sharing agreement in the INDIA Opposition bloc.

When did Amitabh Bachchan contest polls?

Bachchan contested the election from his hometown in 1984, which he won by a landslide, securing over 68 per cent of the vote share. Three years after his election, Bachchan resigned from the Lok Sabha, and it was VP Singh who was elected in the by-election. Notably, in 2019, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, formerly with the Congress, won from Allahabad on a BJP ticket.