LUCKNOW: Stage is set for the bypolls to seven assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday which could potentially be seen as a mini referendum on the performance of three and half year old Yogi Adityanath government. It will also set the narrative for 2022 assembly polls in UP.
The seven seats which will go to bypolls include Ghatampur, Malhani, Bangarmau, Deoria Naugaon Sadat, Bulandshahr and Tundla. In 2017, Assembly election, BJP had won six of these seven seats. Except for Malhani in Jaunpur district, BJP had sitting MLAs on remaining six seats.
While the BJP had pressed into action its entire cadre with CM Yogi Adityanath leading from the front by holding back to back rallies across the seven constituencies to keep its political ground intact, Samajwadi Party, through its MPs and sitting MLAs across the state, had slogged to woo the voters.
However, no leader of the three main opposition parties including SP, BSP and Congress participated in the bypoll campaign.
Despite the constraints following the coronavirus pandemic, BJP pushed in its well-oiled organisational machinery in its bid to reach out to the maximum possible electorate.
Experts said the SP would bank on the consolidation of Muslim votebank, especially after BSP chief Mayawati last week announced that she would support BJP to ensure the defeat of SP in Vidhan Parishad elections in January next year.
According to experts, Muslims may rally behind SP instead of getting divided among SP, BSP and the Congress which may pose a grave challenge to the BJP.
Not surprisingly, BJP is banking on sympathy factor by fielding Usha Sirohi and Sangeeta Chauhan, widows of late Virendra Sirohi and late Chetan Chauhan from Bulandshahr and Naugaon Sadat, respectively. SP has also played sympathy card by fielding Lucky Yadav, son of late SP MLA Parasnath Yadav from Malhani.
BSP, contrary to its policy, has fielded candidates for the first time in by-elections. Experts said the party would bank on consolidation of its inherent vote bank comprising Dalits and Muslims.
However, the BSP has also tried to replicate its social engineering formula – seeking amalgamation of Dalits and upper caste – which catapulted Mayawati to power with absolute majority in 2007 assembly elections.
Mayawati’s close aide and Rajya Sabha member Satish Chandra Mishra has been addressing election meetings to win over Brahmins.