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Journalism of Courage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was right, it will be safffron Holi in Uttar Pradesh for the BJP. With his party securing a massive victory in the Assembly elections, the biggest state in the country will see a non-BSP, non-SP government after decades as there seems to be no stalling the Modi wave that saw the BJP winning over 70 seats in the 2014 General elections. Stakes were high for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh as they desperately needed a win here after the debacle in Delhi and Bihar. And despite all odds, Amit Shah’s sharp strategy and Modi government’s pro-government policies seem to have overpowered Akhilesh’s development model and Mayawati’s caste politics.
Credit should be given to Amit Shah for BJP’s landslide win as he got all the calculations right. Before the polls there were reports of in-fight within the BJP over ticket distribution and the Jat votes shifting their loyalty from the party. The local cadres were reportedly unhappy with the top leadership as many sitting MLAs and local leaders were overlooked. The most shocking decision remained giving of ticket to young Neelkanth Tiwari against seven-time sitting MLA Shyamdeo Rai Chaudhary in Varanasi South. It was expected that the local cadres may work against the party during polls. But for the voters, it was Modi whom they wanted to win. Who remains the party candidate, didn’t matter for them. The BJP was not just leading in Varanasi South but also on seven other constituencies under Varanasi region including Sevapuri, Pindara and Ajgara where the sitting MLAs were from SP, Congress and BSP respectively.
The party decision not to declare the chief ministerial candidate also created dissent in many regions especially in Gorakhpur where Yogi Adityanath loyalist wanted him to be projected. In a jolt to BJP, Hindu Yuva Vahini, floated by Yogi Adityanath, had fielded candidates against the saffron party in six Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. Though Adityanath sought to distance himself from the decision, it was seen as Yogi’s direct challenge to the top leadership in the party. The seats were Padrauna, Khadda, Kasya (all Kushinagar), Paniyara (Gorakhpur) and Siswa and Pharenda (Maharajganj). And the latest trend suggested BJP winning all seats except Pharenda, confirming strong support for the party.
In the western region of the state, the sulking of Jat voters was considered to be a big concern for the BJP. In 2014, 45 per cent of non-Jatav SC voters voted for the BJP. The Jats this time were reportedly unhappy with the BJP’s dealing with the Jat protests in Haryana. The BJP battled this by pulling non-Jats in its favour and polarisisng the maximum votes. The party tried to increase its support base among the non-Yadav OBCs like Kurmis, Koeris, Lodhs, Telis, Kumhars and Kahars by offering tickets to candidates belonging to these castes. The major step in this direction was seen when the party replaced Laxmikant Vajpayee with Keshav Prasad Maurya, an OBC leader, as party state chief.
Demonetisation too was seen as a big hurdle in the way of Modi as it was said that many farmers and small traders would punish him for the hardship they faced post November 8. Surprisingly, as voting day approached, the BJP pulled the dissenting farmers towards itself promising loan wavers for them and several schemes in the union budget. The UP assembly polls was seen as a referendum for Modi and the result suggest, Modi’s grand image of a leader capable of taking strong decisions is still intact.
