E-Paper
BJP workers gather at party’s Lucknow office for celebrations
The party looked set to retain power in Uttar Pradesh as it was leading on 250 out of 403 assembly seats
LUCKNOW: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers have begun gathering at the party’s office for celebrations as it looked set to retain power in Uttar Pradesh. It was leading on 250 out of 403 seats at 10.30 pm and top BJP leaders were expected to hold a press conference later in the day.
Sudhanshu Trivedi, a BJP Rajya Sabha member, said barring 1985, no party has since 1962 won successive terms. “...the party is set for a spectacular show.” A state minister said it is now all about the margin. “We could cross 250 seats,” said the minister, who did not want to be named.
Since 2007, the electorate in the state has given clear mandates in the favour of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party, and the BJP.
Top BJP leaders, including chief minister Yogi Adityanath (Gorakhpur urban ), and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadava, who contested from Karhal, appeared set to win with comfortable margins.
Click here for all the live updates from counting day
A P Tiwari, a political analyst, said if the trends hold, it is going to be a huge win for the BJP considering massive discontentment over the Covid management. “...all credit to the RSS-BJP machinery, which quickly put in place a damage control plan that included creating a force of health volunteers to tackle another wave...rations for the poor were assured and the allocation of funds was made directly into the accounts of small farmers...”
ALSO READ| 'Perception is being created': SP defiant as early trends project BJP win in UP
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was initially trailing in Sirathu. Trivedi said ups and downs in the counting process are expected. “In the end, Maurya will win. Do not forget that in 2012, despite an SP wave, he won the seat for the first time for the BJP. He is a tall leader who has contested in difficult territory.”
Minister Neelkanth Tiwari was also trailing in Varanasi (South), where the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor is located in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.
BSP’s slide continued. The Congress does not appear to have improved its performance either even as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led its campaign.
BSP leader Seema Kushwaha rejected the perception that her party was not a serious contestant. “Wins and losses are part of democracy but I reject the claim that we were not serious. We were very serious. We will accept the people’s verdict,” she said.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said the BJP’s likely win would not change the basic situation about how people suffered.
