In the 2014 elections, the party got 41.30% vote share, which increased to 49.56% in 2019, a jump of about 8%.
New Delhi: For Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was under intense pressure to deliver after having failed to ensure BJP’s victory in the byelections last year, the Lok Sabha election results have come as a big boost. Yogi Adityanath’s impeccable handling of the election campaign, coupled with the Narendra Modi factor, minimised the impact that the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) could have on voting in the state to a large extent.
Sources said that there was apprehension within the BJP that the grand alliance might pose a big challenge for the party at the hustings and that the party’s tally would remain confined between 40 and 50, or even lower. But Yogi Adityanath’s spirited campaign, along with the push by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, resulted in the BJP getting 62 of UP’s 80 seats. Yogi also helped the BJP carry the message of Hindutva to states such as West Bengal, which gave the BJP an extra edge to the already major push that the Prime Minister had given to the campaign there.
“In the 2014 elections, BJP had won 71 seats from UP. It was a big challenge for Yogi to minimise the SP-BSP impact this time around. Even we were not hoping for more than 50 seats. But the BJP got 62 seats, which is just nine seats less compared to the 2014 tally, which is a very big achievement,” said a senior UP BJP leader. Out of 80, the BSP got 10, while SP and Congress got 5 and 1 respectively. BJP’s alliance partner Apna Dal got two seats.
Questions were being raised over Adityanath’s leadership ever since the BJP lost the byelections in Phulpur, Kairana and his home turf Gorakhpur last year to a joint Opposition. The Gorakhpur defeat was in particular a big disaster for Yogi as the seat had been held by the BJP for about three decades, including Yogi himself for five terms. In fact, all this prompted the SP and BSP to think about joining hands for the Lok Sabha elections. The byelection results were the first major setback for the BJP after it stormed to power in UP following the Assembly elections in 2017, in which it got 312 of the state’s 404 seats.
But Yogi’s effective electioneering ensured that the Mahagathbandhan effect could be controlled and at the same time BJP’s vote percentage could also shoot up considerably. In the 2014 elections, the party got 41.30% vote share, which increased to 49.56% in 2019, a jump of about 8%. Badri Narayan, a professor of Political Science at GB Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, said: “The impressive results of Lok Sabha elections in UP is due to both Modi and Yogi. It is a big achievement for Yogi as he managed to checkmate a broad social alliance (of SP and BSP) and helped BJP get 62 seats. However, Yogi’s real test will be in 2022 when Assembly elections are held in the state.”
Observers say that Yogi was able to break the caste arithmetic of the grand alliance with a careful mixture of Hindutva, development and nationalism. Western UP, which appeared as the strongest fort of the grand alliance, got polarised over Yogi’s Hindutva agenda and as voting dates approached, the seats that were expected to go to the grand alliance, came to the BJP. While the grand alliance started its campaign from the Muslim majority Deoband, Yogi countered their messaging to their electorate by giving a counter message to his voters by starting his campaign from the Shakumbhari Devi temple in Saharanpur. He went on to address 137 meetings and rallies in the state, and 27 outside the state.
Asked whether Yogi has been able to establish himself in the party as a towering leader, Badri Narayan said: “Of course, he is an established leader. Though the UP Assembly elections were not contested under his leadership, he has emerged as a prominent face in the BJP, not only at the state level but also nationally. He is a star campaigner all over the country.”
The Gorakhpur result this time was quite impressive as Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan won by a margin of more than 3 lakh votes from there. Yogi addressed 28 meetings in Gorakhpur alone, say sources.
A journalist from Lucknow said Yogi focused on Gorakhpur and tried to correct the mistakes that led to the BJP’s defeat in the byelection. “The SP had fielded Praveen Nishad in the byelection, who defeated the BJP candidate, Upendra Dutt Shukla. The Nishad community has a good presence in Gorakhpur. Knowing the importance of Nishad votes, Yogi made a dent in the Mahagathbandhan’s prospects by bringing Praveen Nishad into the BJP. He also facilitated the entry of the Nishad Party into the NDA fold. This turned out to be a major factor, which helped BJP in the LS elections this time.”
According to the BJP leader quoted earlier, ever since coming to power in 2017, Yogi has been working tirelessly to improve the administration in the state. “Law and order situation has improved significantly and development projects have gathered momentum. The successful organisation of the Kumbh Mela boosted his image considerably. Add to it the Modi factor, which worked wonders and the UP BJP gave 62 seats to the Prime Minister, which contributed a lot to the return of his government at the Centre,” he said.
The BJP leader said that in UP, there were 227 communal riots in 2012, 247 in 2013, 242 in 2014, 219 in 2015, and more than 100 in 2016. “But ever since Yogi Adityanath government has come to power, not a single riot has taken place. Criminals, who were having a field day during the SP rule, are now forced to come to police stations. More than 70 criminals have been killed in police encounters,” the leader added.
R.K. Verma, a Lucknow based scientist, said: “The state which had become infamous for goonda raj, is now peaceful. The power situation has improved considerably and the condition of roads has improved all over the state. The overall perception about the state has improved under Yogi Adityanath.”
The improved law and order situation in UP was a major vote-catcher for BJP. When West Bengal in particular witnessed unending of violence during the poll process, UP was completely calm.
The Yogi government also worked tirelessly to reach to the people the Prime Minister’s rural housing scheme, the Ujjwala scheme, Mudra loans and free healthcare scheme, among others. And this he did in just two years of coming to power. This is the reason why in their election rallies, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah kept talking about 23 lakh houses built in UP, 2.5 crore toilets, and more than 1 crore electricity connections given. Add to this the expanded network of roads and excellent power situation and it’s obvious why UP gave BJP 60-plus seats.