New Delhi: If there were one single factor differentiating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from its political rivals, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Like in 2014, Modi seems to have worked his magic once again and the outcome is even more dramatic.
Uttar Pradesh’s voters have lined up behind Modi, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is looking at a three-quarter majority in the state. The story is no different in Uttarakhand where the BJP is heading for a landslide win.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJ P has won 312 seats on its own with 39.7% vote share. The party has largely managed to maintain its voter share since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls when it got over 42% votes in Uttar Pradesh. The impact of the win can be understood from the fact that the BJP won 221 seats in 1991, at the peak of the Ram Janambhoomi movement.
Fighting the crucial polls on the issue of development and good governance, the BJP leadership also took help of caste arithmetic by giving at least 148 seats to members of other backward classes (OBCs). Upper castes, especially Rajputs and Brahmins, were given more than 110 seats.
The strategy was very similar to what the party did in the 2014 general elections.
The turnaround of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh started with the 2014 general elections when the party won 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Soon after coming to power at the centre, the BJP leadership launched a nationwide campaign and signed on 100 million members across the country. Around 20 million of the number came from Uttar Pradesh.
While preparing for the assembly election, the BJP leadership divided these members into smaller groups to campaign for the party. Each group of 10-15 members at the booth level had a combination of different caste groups.
The central theme of the BJP’s election campaign was that the fruits of development should reach everyone and not be divided on the basis of caste or religion.
To win in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP had to tackle the myth that it was influential only in cities and among the upper castes. And it had to widen its social base.
As part of its strategy to address these issues, the BJP not only opened its doors for former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, but also made Keshav Prasad Maurya its state chief giving a clear signal to the members of the other backward classes (OBCs) that the party was ready to look after their concerns.
The choice of candidates for campaigning was also meticulously planned by the BJP by projecting union minister Uma Bharati, a popular leader from the other backward classes and Keshav Prasad Maurya . Home minister Rajnath Singh led the campaign to attract upper castes.
But the real differentiator was Modi.
He addressed 24 election rallies and spent almost three weeks campaigning in the state. It helped that he too comes from an Other Backward Class.
After 15 years out of power, the BJP has finally returned to Lucknow, and how.
