New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to create spectacular electoral history in the assembly elections of five states by retaining Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand while the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) looks poised to form its maiden government in Punjab.
There could not have been a better political Holi gift to the BJP which has decimated the hopes of Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (SP-RLD) combine of coming anywhere near the possibility of forming the government in India’s most populous state of U.P. where the BJP is firmly ahead at 269 seats out of the 403 seats and the SP leading on 125 seats, Congress on five and the BSP on seven seats. In the past four decades, no party in U.P. had managed to return to power and U.P.’s victory will also strengthen the position of Yogi Adityanath in the power structure of the party as well as Chief Minister of U.P.
Most of the exit polls had predicted UP going the BJP way while the AAP bagging Punjab.
On the other hand, the newbie on the political horizon which has completed seven years in office in the national Capital of Delhi, the AAP has smashed the ruling Congress, BJP, Akali Dal and former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to pulp by leading in about 86 of the 117 assembly seats in Punjab.
The “Double Engine” development model, as often referred to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his poll campaign that stretched for more than a month, seems to have caught the imagination of the people who have voted in favour of the BJP in Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand.
These early trends indicate a complete washout for the Congress which was led by the brother-sister duo of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the assembly polls. Most certainly the stature of the party will suffer a setback on the national scene with the BJP emerging in a stronger than before position. Significantly, the positive and encouraging assembly poll results will also tilt the scale in favour of the BJP in the coming Presidential elections which is slated for July this year.
With the BJP looking all set to comfortably cross the half-way mark in Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand, the leadership of PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will further strengthen the party as a well-oiled political organisation with nobody around to pose a question to their leadership. It will also further smoothen the edges for the BJP to prepare for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when it will go with full strength to score a hat-trick in retaining power at the Centre.
Other political parties like Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have also fallen by the wayside, making do with only a handful of six seats in U.P. where it is leading. Similarly, in Punjab the change of chief minister from Captain Amarinder Singh to a Dalit face Charanjit Singh Channi could do a little as political see-saw battle for onemanship with state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu wrecked the party’s prospects. Caught in a web of drugs and lack of employment, the people in the border State preferred the development model of AAP and wanted to give the party a chance to run the affairs in Punjab.
In the hilly state of Uttarakhand where frequent changes of chief minister were made by the BJP, the move seems to have found favour with the people and the Congress sank in its own infighting, failing to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor. The change in state leadership clearly worked in favour of BJP which is heading comfortably towards forming the government.
In Manipur too, the BJP is ahead on 26 of the total 60 seats with the Congress trailing far behind with leads on nine seats.
In the coastal state of Goa, the BJP is leading on 19 out of the total 40 seats with the Congress being ahead on 13 seats and TMC on just five seats.
These early trends are likely to firm up as results also and the BJP looks all set to usher in celebrations in earnest and the AAP bursting like never before in Punjab with the lion’s share of leads on 89 seats so far. Kejriwal will certainly make a bid for establishing his party on the national scene. Celebrations at AAP party offices in Delhi and Punjab have already started.