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Journalism of Courage
Bipolar fight: It was clear from the beginning that the election would be between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath targeting the SP and Akhilesh Yadav by referring to “mafiawaad”, “gundagardi by laal topiwalahs”, and “appeasement of one community” (Muslims). As the results show, voters too made their choice between the BJP and the SP (or their respective allies), largely ignoring the BSP and the Congress.
Security & Hindutva: Many voters were convinced that it was necessary to bring the incumbent government back to power solely on the issue of law and order, their argument being that no government can remove problems like inflation and unemployment completely. Adityanath’s comments like “garmi thanda kar doonga” or “bulldozer chalega” were widely seen as references to operations on criminals.
Yogi’s stature: If the 2017 elections were won solely on Modi’s image, the 2022 polls were focused on Adityanath’s governance in the last five years. In all their rallies, Modi and Amit Shah spoke about how Adityanath’s government either sent criminals behind bars or got them eliminated, ensuring a state free of crime.
Hit to SP resurgence hopes: Akhilesh Yadav and his party workers were hoping that returning to power would rejuvenate the organisation. Now, taking up issues against the government and at the same time keeping the party alive will be a challenge for Akhilesh and the SP.
BSP’s low: The BSP’s vote share has fallen to 12% from 22% in 2017, the worst performance for the party that had won with a majority in 2007. The BSP seems to have lost its hold on its key vote-bank of Jatavs, who have gone to BJP like many other Dalit castes.
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