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Corona shadow on Yogi government’s 3 years celebrations but 2022 poll preparation on
Although the coronavirus outbreak is seen impacting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s celebrations on completion of its three years, it hasn’t prevented
Although the coronavirus outbreak is seen impacting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s celebrations on completion of its three years, it hasn’t prevented the ruling party to prepare for the 2022 assembly polls, for which it has begun work on ‘Mission 84’.
“The celebrations have been put off by at least around 15 days in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak but we have begun planning for the 2022 assembly polls, charting out our strategy, specially aimed at 84 assembly seats where we have mostly lost, either to the opposition or independents or even seats we left for allies,” a senior BJP leader said.
He said this decision was taken in consultation with chief minister Yogi Adityanath who, on Tuesday became the first BJP chief minister in UP to complete three years in office.
The party will consider holding the three-year celebrations across the state in April if the coronavirus fear subsides, a party leader said.
The BJP, which has already set up a committee comprising ministers and senior party functionaries to decide strategies for the panchayat polls due by year end, has also decided to focus on about 84 assembly segments, which the party had either lost in 2017 UP polls or feels the need to work more them. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has already claimed that his party would win 351 seats in 2022 polls; 39 seats more than the 312 seats BJP won in 2017 UP polls.
Together with its allies Apna Dal and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), BJP had won 325 seats with an astounding 50.4 per cent vote share.
“Each seat that BJP lost or didn’t contest is on our radar now. We will contest the elections on the basis of our government’s achievements,” a BJP lawmaker said. “There were 78 seats back then that we lost and subsequently there were a few we lost to rivals in by-polls too. An ally which won 4 seats because of our support is out there galvanising smaller parties against us now.
“We are watching all that. All in all we identified nearly 84 assembly segments where the party has decided to hard sell the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath governments,” a BJP leader said.
This includes assembly segments won by SBSP in eastern UP, as well as seats like Kunda and Banaganj in Pratapgarh from where independent lawmaker Raja Bhaiya and his supporters won. Raja Bhaiya had traditionally supported the Samajwadi Party though in 2018 he had supported the BJP in Rajya Sabha elections.
But the BJP’s move to appoint a party pointsperson in Kunda as well as Babaganj, where too Raja Bhaiya holds sway, indicated the party plans to develop its cadre even in areas it earlier didn’t pay much attention to.
Sunil Bharala, chairman of state labour welfare board, has been named pointsperson for these key assembly seats, BJP leaders in know said.
Asked if BJP proposed to go all alone in UP in 2022, a BJP leader said, “Tactical decisions would be taken closer to the polls but we are working on a plan to ensure that despite phenomenal wins, the party and cadre don’t lower their guard.
That’s why we have a plan ready for all 403 seats in UP and the forthcoming panchayat polls would help us test ourselves. We are also contesting the graduate and teachers’ constituency polls.”
