BJP managed to overwhelm its opponents based on Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s popularity in the state.The assembly polls results in the states of Maharashtra and Haryana have come as a major reality check for the party. In both the states, the party had been unable to retain the seat tally that it had achieved in the previous assembly polls. BJP in Maharashtra won 105 seats- a drop of 17 seats from its tally of 122 seats in the 2014 assembly polls. Similarly, in Haryana, the party’s tally has dropped to 40 seats from the 47 seats that it had won in 2014. Though the BJP remains the single largest party in both the states, the significant drop in the number of seats suggests that the local leadership hasn’t really been able to completely retain the pro-BJP sentiment generated in both the states owing to PM Modi’s popularity.
It was being expected that the assembly polls would mark the complete wipe out of the opposition parties, however, the opposition parties have been able to put up a good fight. The NCP, for example, won from 54 seats, which is a major jump from the 41 seats that the party won in 2014 assembly polls. Notwithstanding the reality check that the BJP got in Maharashtra and Haryana, the BJP was able to put up a very good show in the Uttar Pradesh by-polls. Eleven seats went to polls in the state. The BJP contested from ten seats, while its ally Apna Dal contested from one seat. The BJP was defending eight seats in the state out of which it has managed to retain all but one of the seats. The Apna Dal emerged victorious in the only seat- Pratapgarh, that it was contesting from. The SP and BSP failed to put up any serious challenge as the BJP managed to overwhelm its opponents based on Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s popularity in the state.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has emerged as the face of development in the state. He inherited a legacy of several years of mis-governance in the state by the previous regimes. However, he has been able to ensure all-round, vibrant development of the state. Take the power sector for example, Uttar Pradesh used to be infamous for power cuts and poor management of the sector. However, the Yogi government has ensured 24-hour electricity at the district headquarters, 20 hours at tehsils, and at least, 18 hours electricity in the villages. Similarly, in the road and highways sector, the Yogi-led government has been able to make one lakh kilometre of roads, pothole-free. Four major expressways- Poorvanchal, Bundelkhand, Gorakhpur Link Expressway and Ganga Expressway, are also at different stages of planning and completion. However, the crackdown on crime and mafia in the state remains the biggest achievement of the Yogi government. There have been more than 4,600 encounters of criminals ever since the Yogi regime came at the helm of affairs. This is a stern message to the criminal elements that the state will not allow them to go scot-free. As per a July 2019 report, 76 criminals had been gunned down in the two years of Yogi government at the time of publication of the report.
It is clear that the Uttar Pradesh CM has emerged as a strong leader in the state who has shown the capability of taking the BJP ahead in the state. His popularity goes beyond Uttar Pradesh as well. In the past, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath had addressed party rallies even in West Bengal which did yield positive results for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. He was not pressed into service extensively during the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls, though he did address few rallies. Had he campaigned more actively, the results might have been different. In the upcoming Assembly polls in Bihar and Delhi, we might see Yogi campaigning more actively for the BJP as the party would like to get back in the groove after a sudden setback in Maharashtra and Haryana.