The decline and decline of BJP

The bypoll results, however, has badly affected the morale of the partyworkers and the MLAs.

“After getting maximum votes in 328 Assembly segments in the LS polls, BJP was sure to win in 2017. But the bypoll results have come as a dampener,” said a party leader.

In past two decades, BJP has seen a constant downfall in its numbers in UP Assembly.

BJP had contested its first Assembly elections in UP at the time of its inception in 1980 and won 11 seats. While Kalyan had lost from Atrauli, some time later three party MLAs defected to other parties leaving BJP with only eight members in the House. In 1985, BJP won 16 seats and increased the tally to 57 in 1989.

It won maximum 221 seats in 1991 riding on Ram Janmabhoomi movement with Kalyan Singh as party’s poster boy having acceptability in all the castes include upper, backward and most backwards at that time. Kalyan took charge as chief minister.

Just two years later, party’s performance took a hit as it won only 177 seats. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had contested in alliance against BJP and with 176 seats formed government with the support of other MLAs.

In 1996, BJP numbers further decreased to 174 seats. The decline continued in 2002 too when BJP contested the assembly poll under the leadership of the chief minister Rajnath Singh and could won only 88 seats. It came down to 51 seats in 2007, and 47 in 2012.

During the bypolls to four assembly seats held alongwith the Lok Sabha elections in may this year, BJP won two taking its strength to 49. However, 11 of its MLAs also got elected to Lok Sabha necessitating another bypoll while bringing down the BJP strength to 38 in the House. Riding on the Modi wave, and basking in the glory of the LS results, party was hoping to win all the 11 seats, but could get only three taking its numbers to 41. This at a time when there was an anti-incumbency wave against the SP government in the state and a BJP-led government at the Centre.

A party MLA said that infighting and lack of a prominent face, that could be accepted by majority of voters at the state level, is leading to continuous decline of BJP in the Assembly polls. He said that during a recent Vidhan Mandal Dal meeting, several MLAs complained that party neither consult them in selection of candidates nor used them in election management and canvassing. Sources said that some of them even complained that party deployed those leaders in poll management who lacked experience.

BJP leader in UP Assembly, Suresh Khanna, however, seems hopeful and said that fall in number of MLAs will not make affect party’s performance inside the House. “In recent Assembly session, we successfully played the role of an active Opposition. Our 41 members are capable to play that role with same aggressiveness in upcoming sessions too”.