LUCKNOW: With most exit polls putting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead in the race to crown in UP, the party cadre bustling in anticipation of victory broke into celebrations across the state.
While a couple of surveys have predicted absolute majority for the saffron party, some of them have given even 250 plus seats to the party.
“It is a stamp of approval for Narendra Modiji and his leadership,” said a senior BJP leader in Lucknow. “The way he led from the front in the final phases of Uttar Pradesh elections will clearly reflect on the final results as well,” he added.
Others attribute it to the Modi ‘magic’ which has worked yet again. “People want Modiji to deliver. It is a mandate for his style of functioning,” said former UPCC chief and present BJP candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
The exit poll results had sent the party cadre into an advanced celebration of the festival of colours, Holi. The festival falls two days after the result of the polls. On the other hand, buoyed by the exit poll results, various district units have already ordered sweets like laddoos and gujiya.
“We will distribute gujias to the public and our supporters as we are sure of victory,” said a confident party leader. “Modiji’s fame will ensure a victory for BJP in the state”, he added.
He said, “We will celebrate Holi in advance on Saturday and distribute gujias and kesariya colour”. While other parties presented a brave front while dismissing the exit poll results, a sarcastic message circulated by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supporters said: “Congratulations to BJP for winning the exit polls and congratulations in advance to Behenji (Mayawati) for winning on the poll result day.”
Rejecting the trends suggested by the exit polls, a senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader reminded how the post poll survey in Bihar had gone totally opposite to the suggested trends. “If these trends become a reality, then it will be proved that state electorate is still gullible and gets influenced by hollow slogans,” said a senior SP leader, failing to hide his dismay.
Meanwhile, the SP circles were abuzz with analytical discourses of the leaders who were already talking about issues like Gayatri Prajapati and SP family feud as the reasons for possible defeat. “When the party was capable of forming a government on his own, then what was the logic to rope in Congress,” said a sulking SP leader on the condition of anonymity, adding that “the grand old party has become a cause of our defeat at many places.”