Lucknow, Aug. 27 -- The expulsion of Chail MLA Pooja Pal from the Samajwadi Party followed by a volley of allegations and counter-allegations is indicative of the larger fight for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) vote in the Ganga-Yamuna doab, the fertile tract of land between the two rivers, in the Prayagraj region. Pooja Pal's constituency is part of the belt. Pal was shown the door by the SP after she praised chief minister Yogi Adityanath's governance and development initiatives during a special 24-hour debate in the recently concluded Monsoon session of the state assembly. Following her expulsion, there was speculation that the BJP was eyeing an opportunity to woo marginalised voters ahead of 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls. The OBCs,including Yadavs, Kurmis, Nishads, and Patels, make up a significant portion of the electorate in Prayagraj and surrounding districts. In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election, the BJP won seven of the 12 seats in Prayagraj district. The SP bagged four seats in Prayagraj district and three in Kaushambi district, including Pooja Pal's Chail. One seat in Prayagraj district went to BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal). Pal, who went on to meet Adityanath after her expulsion, alleged that she faced a life threat from SP workers and even from party chief Akhilesh Yadav. She claimed that Dalits and backwards were treated as second-standard citizens in the SP but Muslims were given preference even if they had a criminal background. Her reference to Muslims with a criminal background had a context. During the recent Monsoon session, Pal had said that Yogi gave her justice as mafia-turned politician Atiq Ahmed, an accused in her husband's murder, was gunned down during the BJP regime. Pooja Pal's husband Raju Pal, the then BSP MLA from Allahabad West, was shot dead in Prayagraj on January 25, 2005, just days after his marriage. Raju Pal had gained prominence after winning the seat in a 2004 by-election, defeating Ashraf, the younger brother of Atiq Ahmed, who had vacated the seat upon being elected to the Lok Sabha. Atiq and Ashraf were among the accused named in the murder case. Legal proceedings against Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf were abated following their deaths in April 2023. Atiq and Ashraf were shot dead by assailants while in police custody. Refuting Pooja Pal's allegations, the SP chief said at a press conference on Sunday: "It is hard to understand that someone is meeting the CM and having their life threatened by a leader of another party. If anyone suspects a danger from someone, it should be investigated to identify those individuals within the organisation who pose a threat. This investigation is necessary. We cannot trust the government of Uttar Pradesh with this. That is why we have written this letter to the Union home minister." SP state president Shyam Lal Pal sent a letter to Shah on Sunday, seeking an investigation into the matter. On Sunday evening itself, in another letter, Pal said, "When my husband was murdered, the Samajwadi Party was the ruling party in the state, so I fear that the mafia goons nurtured by the SP can get me killed." She also alleged that the SP opposed her and her husband by fielding Atiq Ahmed's brother Ashraf as a candidate in three elections. Referring to Yadav's statement at the press conference, Pal said that she had no ambition to become a minister. "My aim was to get my husband's murderers punished. The Yogi government gave me justice. But even today, SP is committing sins by feeding the criminals, which the coming generations will not forgive," she wrote. On her expulsion, Pal wrote, "There is a misconception in the society that I was expelled from SP due to cross- voting in the Rajya Sabha elections. This is wrong. My expulsion happened when I took the name of Atiq Ahmed in the House." Speaking on the allegations by Pal against the Samajwadi Party leadership, Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Hero Bajpai said, "Pooja Pal's fear is much justified as, during the Samajwadi Party's rule in the state, her MLA husband Raju Pal was murdered at the behest of Atiq Ahmed. This is an open truth, which everyone is aware of." Speaking on the issue, senior journalist Ram Dutt Tripathi said, "I don't think it is that big an issue which will have any influence on the state level. There might be some ramification on the local level but I don't think it will snowball into something big. Also, MLA Pooja Pal has no significant following of her own. She got the ticket because of her husband. Barring the local constituency of Pooja Pal, I don't think it will be an issue anywhere else in the state."...