UP Elections: BJP Wrapped Up UP Afresh

The Saffron Party is all set to once again place its foot in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leads with 250 plus seats in the Assembly election counting during the early rounds itself. This concept of winning the second term is more common among the southern states of the country but for UP, it is history. And Yogi Adityanath is about to make that history happen by returning to power for the second time since 1985.

Does this mean Hindutva has the upper hand in the state?

This would not be a difficult one to answer as the election results in itself show a clear picture of Hindutva ranking first in the race. The saffron party’s successful commencement of Ram Mandir construction plays an important role in this election results. Since it had been a euphoric event for Hindus. Adityanath has a huge supporter base from the Brahmin community. However, it is undeniable that he would also be backed by OBCs (other Backward castes).

Yogi Adityanath Pro at Making Headlines

The Hindu monk turned politician had been overly criticised for hate speech against Muslim communities regularly. The BJP’s tenure in the state had made frequent mob lynching headlines in the media, which at one point in time became a common affair.

Mr Adityanath Government also introduced a law against interfaith marriages which had been a long-term controversial topic across the country. During the BJP’s tenure, the slaughterhouses and restaurants serving meat were shut down. If one looks at the trend, the BJP’s prominent face, Mr Adityanath made more headlines than any other leader in the party.

News media vigorously criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Choosing the UP leader as the Chief Minister candidate during the 2017 UP Assembly elections. But if it is not for Mr Adityanath, BJP would not have a stronghold in the state. At present, it is openly visible that after Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the paramount headline-making and most talked-about leader would be none other than Yogi Adityanath.

Are women safer in UP?

The safety of women in the state has always been at peril if the raising cases against women’s protection is looked upon. Hathras rape case, a brutal act of the human race in the face of caste discrimination, had stirred up shock, anxiety and sorrow across the country. Most notable cases, not only women protection related cases but also other elevated cases such as Bareilly, Bijnor, Budaun Kannauj, Sakshi Maharaj, Bulandshahar and Vikas Dubey are from the state of UP.

Pandemic in UP

The unprecedented pandemic situation had created migrant crises all over the nation, and it could not be ignored that UP has a major part in the poor handling of the crisis. During the second wave of COVID-19, Mr Adityanath was extremely criticised for a poor healthcare facility in the state. The overflowing of human bodies in the river Ganges without enough burial grounds attracted headlines. Due to the lack of bed and treatment facilities, death rates surged at rocket speed. UP was said to be one of the worst handled states of the COVID-19 pandemic. The GSDP growth of the state also consistently dipped during the tenure of Yogi Adityanath but as usual pandemic situation took the blame.

Though all these were taken into account, the voters, at last, were attracted by the distribution of additional food grains, cooking oil and Channa. It is also to be observed that, the law and order have been improved negligibly in the state.