Written by Rajlaxmi, a grade 7 student. This is the first of a 5-piece article series, covering the UP Vidhan Sabha Elections, 2022. Opinions expressed are the author’s own

In India, the elections taking place in 2022, in the states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, and Punjab, are the Legislative Assembly Elections.

Introduction: Why The UP elections are important for India

Uttar Pradesh is India’s largest state, population-wise and fourth-largest, area-wise. Given these proportions, it contributes greatly to this country’s economy.

Other than being a hotspot for cultural reformation, and home to a wide variety of people, various industries flourish in UP.

With cities like Sahibabad, Kanpur, Noida being the area where most factories are located, electronics, leather, textile, and mineral-based industries have shown immense growth within the last few years.

The tourism business shows promise, along with the Arts and Crafts industries. Given its home to so many cultures, tribes

Religiously significant cities like Varanasi [Kashi Vishwanath], Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Mathura-Vrindavana are located in this state. While cities like Agra, Lucknow, and Noida get international visitors, thanks to the Taj Mahal, Imamabaras, and other historical sites, forests like Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and DudhwaNational Park attracts tourists from all through India.

Besides these cultural and economic aspects, securing UP, also means securing a lot more.

It is by far one of the most important elections in this country, before the 2024 elections.

While voting for assembly and parliamentary elections is different, winning the upcoming elections will reflect BJP’s hold.

After the Lakhimpur Kheri incident – a farmer-agitation-linked incident in which eight people, including four farmers and a local man, were killed in; Capt. Amarinder Singh leaving Congress; repealing the farming laws; winning UP, Punjab holds significance as it shows whether BJP has risen above the farmers’ resentment, or if it is still resented.

To top it off UP has 80 parliamentary seats. Securing a larger amount would result in higher chances of the party’s government being formed as the center’s executive and government.

What is an MLA and a Legislature?

There are two types of Legislatures, one for the center, and one for the state. The center’s legislature consists of the Parliament consisting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. A state’s legislature consists of a Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) and Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad).

A legislative assembly is a legislature, in which elected MLAs combine to create laws in cooperation with the Legislative Council and its MLCs. Simply put, the MLAs and MLCs are the lawmakers of the state. The executive then implements it. The judiciary’s job is to dispense justice.

An MLA is a member of the legislative assembly. One candidate is elected from each constituency to represent that constituency in the states’ legislature. He/she can hail from any political party and is elected through Legislative assembly elections.

Whichever party has the most members in the Vidhan Sabha, wins. The party that wins forms the executive.

What is a constituency?

Each state is divided into areas, or constituencies, for the purpose of electing MLAs. They are divided in such a way that the population of each constituency is roughly equal. The area does not matter. Each constituency can only elect one representative to the Vidhan Sabha.

There are 80 parliamentary constituencies and 403 legislative assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.

I Kid You Not now has a large readership across India and also parts of the world. If you want to write for us, you can submit your story here. You can also apply to become a news anchor. Apply here