Hastinapur assembly constituency has Dinesh Khatik of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) taking on Yogesh Verma of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Archana Gautam of the Congress, and Vinod Jatav of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) this year in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Dinesh Khatik had won the Hastinapur seat in 2017, as the BJP swept Uttar Pradesh winning 312 of UP’s 403 assembly seats. Khatik had beaten his closest rival Yogesh Verma by a margin of 36,062 votes. Verma had contested that election on a BSP ticket.

Also Read | Congress promises to waive all farm loans within 10 days of coming to power

In 2012, the seat was won by Prabhu Dayal Balmiki of the SP. 

Hastinapur falls under the Meerut district and the Bijnor Lok Sabha constituency, which is made up of five assembly seats. Apart from Hastinapur, two fall in the Muzaffarnagar district, and two in the Bijnor district.   

Also Read | Ahead of Uttar Pradesh polls, hookah demand and prices soar 150%

In Hastinapur, SP has won three times and the Congress has won twice since the 1977 elections. 

The Hastinapur assembly constituency will vote in the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections on February 10, 2022, along with 57 other constituencies in 11 districts. Uttar Pradesh will vote in seven rounds, with the last round on March 3. 

Also Read | Mamata calls BJP ‘khatra party’, says Akhilesh will win in UP

Results will be declared on March 10, along with those for elections in four other states, including neighbouring Uttarakhand.   

Quick facts about the Hastinapur Assembly seat   

Name of the assembly constituency, district: Hastinapur, Meerut district 

Polling date: February 10, 2022

Phase: 1 

Sitting MLA, party: Dinesh Khatik, BJP

Key candidates, party in 2022: Dinesh Khatik (BJP), Yogesh Verma (SP), Archana Gautam (Congress), and Vinod Jatav (AIMIM)

Winning candidate, party in 2017: Dinesh Khatik, BJP

Runner-up name, party 2017: Yogesh Verma, SP

Winning margin in 2017: 36,062  

Top 3 candidates 2017: Dinesh Khatik (BJP), Yogesh Verma (BSP), Prabhu Dayal Balmiki (SP)

Top 3 candidates 2012: Prabhu Dayal Balmiki (SP), Yogesh Verma (PECP), Gopal Kali (INC)

Lok Sabha constituency: Bijnor  

Research by Ashni Varghese MV