Does a sweeping victory in Uttar Pradesh by-polls validate the Yogi government?

By Devika Bedi

Yogi Adityanath’s government has proven its mettle and justified its confidence in the latest by-polls of Uttar Pradesh. Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) had a sweeping victory by bagging 14 out of the 16 municipal corporations, with the remaining two going to Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party as a ground-level resurgence. Parties including BJP, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Samajwadi Party (SP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) participated to contest for the 653 urban local bodies, including 16 municipal corporations.

The results and the turnout

In the 2012 by-polls, BJP had successfully won 10 out of the 12 municipal corporations, with one each won by independent candidates supported by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Party. Conducted in three phases on November 22, 26 and 29, the polls saw a little over 50 percent of voter turnout, which comes as an improvement from last time’s polls held in the year 2012. Civic by-polls in the largest Indian state were held in 652 local bodies, deciding the fate of BJP’s influence and pomp in the state. 6,269 polling booths were set up to accommodate over 3.36 crore eligible voters.

Victory with a few setbacks

Chief Minister Adityanath began campaigning vigorously from November 14 across the state in six cities for weeks before the polls. The 45-year-old leader had carried out 26 rallies across the state. In Ayodhya, he stressed on how BJP would ensure holistic development, should they win. “The BJP’s historic win in the UP civic polls is because of PM Modi’s development policies and Amit Shah’s guidance,” said the Chief Minister.

Hrishikesh Upadhyaya and Mukesh Arya are the new mayors from Ayodhya and Mathura respectively. In Varanasi too, BJP candidates have assumed mayoral seats. BJP had, for the first time, issued a manifesto for the civic polls. Apart from the many wins, BJP has also faced some setbacks. What comes as a shock is the defeat of Maya Tripathi from ward number 68 in Gorakhpur, which is home to the Gorakhnath temple, a place headed by Yogi himself as the main priest. Shockingly, BJP also lost in all six Nagar Panchayats. While BJP remains a star in Nagar Nigams, it is finding it hard to keep up in the Nagar Palika and Nagar Panchayat polls.

Absence of a strong opposition

In the opposition, Congress stands at an almost decline in UP. It lost the much-expected seat of Amethi, in which Rahul Gandhi had campaigned personally. The blatant saffron wave must put Congress in deep despair for its influence in the state is almost negligible now. Samajwadi Party, despite not campaigning at all, is the second largest influential party in UP. Mayawati’s BSP has found a lost ground and Yogi Adityanath is the undisputed face of Hindutva in the state. As a result, it is speculated that without an ally, BJP will not face a strong opposition.

Implications of the win for the Yogi government

Political experts claim that this year’s polls may be interpreted a six-month referendum for the Yogi government. In the latest results, people have nodded to the Yogi government for sorting two of the most pressing issues, which are law and order and electricity supply, in the state. The GST imbroglio has also staged its final act, with the latest figures of an improved GDP rate of 6.3. BJP party leaders have even gone so far as to question the silence of Congress leaders over this.

According to UP BJP Chief Mahendra Nath Pandey, the credit to BJP’s success in the state is in fighting the polls alone. “Congress, other parties were giving internal support to each other. We fought alone and we are now leading with a good number in early trends,” he said. The results have come while campaigns for Gujarat are ongoing. It will definitely still be a talking point for the winners even if BJP’s win doesn’t directly affect the voter behaviour in Gujarat. “Whatever has happened in Uttar Pradesh today is nothing compared to what is going to happen in Gujarat on 18 December. After the (vote) counting on 18 December, the BJP will emerge victorious and form the government with 150 seats,” said Amit Shah, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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