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UP MLC polls heat up as aggressive BJP goes all out
Of the 11 MLC seats —six teachers’ and five graduates’, the BJP contested nine and backed an independent for the teachers’ quota seat in Gorakhpur.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scripted some amount of success in teachers’ and graduate constituency seats of the Legislative Council election even as its leaders said the party was looking to dominate teachers’ politics in the state. The party’s gains come after it raised the stakes in these polls by launching an aggressive poll campaign.
It, however, faced a tough contest on some of the seats from the opposition Samajwadi Party and independents.
Of the 11 MLC seats —six teachers’ and five graduates’ — the BJP contested nine and backed an independent for the teachers’ quota seat in Gorakhpur.
The results won’t affect the overall standing in the UP Legislative Council, where the SP dominates with 52 seats against the BJP’s 19, the Bahujan Samaj Party’s 8 and the Congress’s 2 members. However, the party would increase its tally after winning three of the six teachers’ constituency seats. An independent backed by the party has won as well in Gorakhpur. The SP registered a win in Varanasi and another independent candidate, who is a member of the unaided teachers’ outfit, won the Agra teachers’ seat. He is believed to enjoy the tacit support of the BJP. The state chief of unaided teachers’ association Umesh Dwivedi has already joined the BJP and won the elections from Lucknow teachers’ quota seat.
Among the five graduate constituency seats, the BJP and Samajwadi Party had won two seats each. The BJP was also leading in the Agra graduate constituency. The overall results are yet to be announced officially.
The BJP was poised to win the Lucknow graduates’ seat, though it faced an upset in the Varanasi graduates’ constituency as well as in the Allahabad-Jhansi graduates’ constituency seat, where it lost after 24 years.
Political experts said the BJP’s aggressive foray in these polls, where it got its top state leaders to campaign for the first time, was set to impact teachers’ politics in the state.
“It’s now clear that like these polls, the BJP would aggressively contest the panchayat polls, too, where a good show would definitely provide a psychological edge to the party ahead of the 2022 UP assembly polls,” said Irshad Ilmi, a veteran political observer.
He said this would be most evident in west UP, where the BJP brought about a major upset by ending the nearly 50-year domination of teachers’ leader Om Prakash Sharma, 87, who had been winning the seat since 1970.
“The results would impact teachers’ politics both inside and outside the UP Legislative Council,” agreed SK Dwivedi, a retired head of the department of political science in Lucknow University.
“The complete results haven’t come so far, but there is no denying that BJP now would have a say in teachers’ politics in a big way,” he added.
Even before the results for all the 11 MLC seats had come, the BJP quickly shifted focus to the panchayat polls. Its top state leadership met at the party office on Saturday to strategise for the next political assignment in UP. The panchayat polls in UP are expected to be announced early next year.
The SP cited its win against the BJP in Allahabad and Varanasi as proof of what it termed its growing acceptability.
“Despite desperate efforts to rig the polls by misusing official machinery, the BJP has suffered reverses from Jhansi till Kashi. The Samajwadi Party’s symbol cycle raced ahead triumphantly and is well set to win the 2022 assembly polls. The party’s popularity is growing and it has started showing too,” SP MLC Sunil Yadav said.
The BJP faced reverses in graduate constituency seat in Varanasi, losing to the SP there. The BJP did not officially contest the Varanasi teachers’ seat. The Allahabad-Jhansi graduates’ seat was won by the SP and here the BJP cadres entered into a heated exchange of words with the police and administration.
“The results make it clear that only the SP has the capability to challenge and checkmate the BJP,” said SP leader IP Singh though BJP leaders said having made an impact they were looking ahead. The BJP was poised to win the Lucknow graduate constituency seat after a tough contest, where independent candidate Kanti Singh levelled accusations against the administration of siding with the ruling party.
