Uttar Pradesh Election Updates: No doubt BJP forming govt again with thumping majority, says Yogi Adityanath

The saffron wave that had swept through the state in 2017 fetched the BJP and its allies 75 out of the 86 reserved seats — highest tally ever for any political outfit in the state. Of the 75 seats, 69 were won by the BJP alone while its allies Apna Dal (S) and Suhaildev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) had won three each. The Anupriya Patel-led AD(S) emerged as a winner in Soraon (Prayagraj), Chhanbey (Mirzapur) and Duddhi (Sonbhadra).

A ‘chemistry’ that is capable of producing a strong polarization either around anti-incumbency or Hindutva, with a dash of caste 'arithmetic’, would be the decisive in UP polls, reveals an analysis of voting pattern in the past few elections in the state. READ MORE

As UP gears up for poll battle, focus is expected to be trained on the political turncoats who deserted their parent parties in search of greener pastures -- a development that was the hallmark of the 2017 Assembly elections.UP is once again witnessing the phenomenon with BJP using defection of political leaders to its camp as a key strategy to set the electoral narrative to its advantage. This time, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, too, has been rooting for the same approach aggressively by keeping its doors open for leaders from rival stations. READ MORE

About 20 lakh first-time voters will play a key role in deciding the vote of candidates in the assembly elections. The Election Commission says the number is three times more than 2017 elections. “There is 1.32% rise in the enrollment of 18-19 years voters as compared to 0.51% rise in the previous elections,” the CEC said during his visit to Lucknow recently. As per the ECI data, Prayagraj recorded 62,068 highest number of first-time voters in the state, followed by Ghazipur 60,448, Aligarh 48,748, Bareilly 47,406, Azamgarh 46,604, Budaun 45,497, Jaunpur 43,333, Kheri 42,911 and Bulandsahar 42,129. Shamli recorded the least number of first-time voters 10,550, followed by Hamirpur 10,658, Mahoba 10,671, Baghpat 10,802 and Chitrakoot 10,861.

The stage is set for 2022 UP assembly elections. While the BJP believes that its ‘Double Engine’ with support of some smaller parties like Apna Dal will bulldoze the opposition again, SP hopes to withstand the saffron charge by knitting an alliance with local OBC satraps including Rashtriya Lok Dal and SBSP among others. BSP’s attempt is to make the contest three-cornered by experimenting with its Dalit-Brahmin combination again, while Congress is desperately trying to stay afloat by carving a new ‘women vote bank’. READ MORE

The Nishad Party is likely to contest at least two dozen seats in the state assembly elections in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, according to party president Sanjay Nishad. He, however, said that the official announcement in this regard would be made soon. Nishad Party has presence in the districts of Purvanchal region which has a considerable population of the boatmen (Nishad) community. In September last year, the BJP had announced its alliance with the Nishad Party for assembly elections.

After promising 300 units of free electricity to every household and free power for irrigation, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said if voted to power, his government will give free laptops to students pursuing higher studies and create a special fund to help eligible poor students to pursue studies abroad.