Lucknow: Indian history is that if you win in Uttar Pradesh, you can take power at the centre. Accordingly, the BJP, which swept Uttar Pradesh in the last 2014 and 2019 elections, has suffered a big blow this time. There are 5 main reasons behind BJP’s unexpected slide in Uttar Pradesh. Its details are as follows:
Lok Sabha elections have been completed in 7 phases in our country. The Lok Sabha elections were held from April 1 to June 1. The votes were counted yesterday and the results announced. The result came as a huge blow to the BJP and its allies.
Besides, this result is a big boost for the ‘India’ alliance of opposition parties. Because BJP did not get majority in the center. At the same time, ‘India’ coalition parties have won as much as BJP.
That means there are a total of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. In this, 272 seats must be won to take power alone in the center. But BJP has won only 240 constituencies. BJP has a total of 293 seats if the victory of BJP allies is included. The BJP is planning to form a coalition government at the centre. Meanwhile, the Congress has won the maximum number of 99 seats in the ‘India’ alliance of opposition parties. Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi has won 37 seats, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress has won 29 seats and Chief Minister Stalin’s DMK has won 22 seats. All in all the ‘India’ alliance has a total of 234 seats.
In the last 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had secured a single majority to form a government on its own despite contesting in alliance. But this time the situation is not like that. Uttar Pradesh is the main reason for this decline of BJP. Because Uttar Pradesh alone has a total of 80 Lok Sabha constituencies. The party that wins here can easily take over the government. For example, BJP won 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2014 and 62 seats in 2019. But this time in Uttar Pradesh, BJP has faced a big slippage. Out of total 80 constituencies, BJP has won only 33 constituencies. On the contrary, the ‘India’ alliance has won 43 seats. Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi party has won maximum 37 seats. It is more than BJP. Likewise, the Congress party has won 6 constituencies.
In Uttar Pradesh alone, BJP has lost 29 seats compared to last time. If there were 29 constituencies, even if the BJP did not get a majority at the centre, it would have been only 3 seats short of the majority. In this case, they have washed their hands of the BJP in the situation that the people of Uttar Pradesh will give their hand to the BJP due to the fact that they have won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly for the last 2 consecutive terms and built the Ayodhya Ram Temple. In this situation, it is said that there are 5 main reasons behind the slide of BJP in Uttar Pradesh. Its main details are as follows:
First reason: Uttar Pradesh has a large population of backward, dalit and minorities. Muslims constitute a significant minority. They have collectively supported Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party. This is why Mayawati, who is running a party for the rights of Dalit people, did not win a single seat. This was a big blow to BJP. If we look at how Akhilesh Yadav got the support of people from this section, there is an important matter behind it. If 400 seats are given to BJP, the BJP ruling at the center will change the constitution. Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders shouted from platform to platform that reservation system will be abolished. It is said that because of this fear, the backward, Dalit people are voting for the ‘India’ alliance.
2nd Reason: People in many villages in Uttar Pradesh are very poor. They earn their living by doing daily wage work. Mostly they are migrant workers looking for work in other states. Price rise became a major problem for them. Especially the rise in cylinder prices became a problem. In addition, even though BJP is in power for the 2nd term in Uttar Pradesh and BJP has been in power for 10 years at the center, there is still employment problem in many villages. Youths are unemployed. It is in this environment that 30 lakh jobs will be created on behalf of the ‘India’ alliance. It was advertised that these posts would be filled once the ‘India’ alliance was formed. It is said that the youth and educated graduates have voted for the ‘India’ alliance in response to the BJP.
3rd reason: Congress party’s election promises have made a big impact in Uttar Pradesh. It has been announced that poor women will be given Rs.8,500 per month up to Rs.1 lakh. It spread like wildfire everywhere in Uttar Pradesh. And there was a change in women’s minds. Women have overwhelmingly voted for the Congress and the ‘Samajwadi’ party in the Congress alliance.
4th Reason: Uttar Pradesh state means no one can forget the Ayodhya Ram temple. Because this Ayodhya Ram temple issue has a history of 500 years. The BJP kept making the election promise of building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. This made the BJP stronger in Uttar Pradesh. Following the Supreme Court verdict, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ayodhya Ram temple and inaugurated it on January 22, 2019. Thus the issue of Ayodhya Ram temple was calmed down. The issue of Ram temple did not have any impact on this election as BJP thought that people would support BJP because of the construction of Ram temple. Also, people did not care about the BJP’s propaganda that the ‘India’ allies will demolish the Ayodhya Ram temple.
5th reason: Congress understood from the very beginning that if it wants to take power at the center or dethrone the ruling BJP at the center, it must gain a significant foothold in a large state like Uttar Pradesh. This is why the Congress started working together with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party. Even during the constituency distribution, Akhilesh Yadav refused to give the constituencies asked by the Congress. However, Congress contested in only 17 constituencies regardless. Akhilesh Yadav contested the remaining 63 constituencies. Congress leaders aligned themselves with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi despite the low number of seats allotted. With this, the Congress-Samajwadi alliance has won more than half of the 43 seats. It is noteworthy that this is also the main reason for the downfall of the BJP.
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