The BJP on Thursday made history in Uttar Pradesh storming back to power and also retained Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, while Arvind Kejriwal led AAP produced a stunning win to sweep Punjab to emerge as the single largest party by a huge margin.
he BJP as an incumbent government returned to power in UP after over three decades, with the party riding on the enduring charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s effective implementation of welfare programmes and a ceaseless campaign against crime and criminals.
As the BJP retained its grip on the four states, futher fortifying its positions ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party wrested Punjab from the Congress, which lay shorn of power in yet another state, adding to a string of electoral losses. A debilitated Congress now rules only Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed a celebratory gathering at BJP headquarters in New Delhi, hailed the victories as an “emphatic endorsement of BJP’s pro-poor and proactive governance” and a “vote for political stability”.
The spectacular rise of AAP outside Delhi, with an unprecedented mandate in Punjab and a toehold in Goa where it bagged two seats, analysts said, foretells a big likely churn in the opposition camp.
Kejriwal called his party’s astounding victory in Punjab a “revolution”.
The outcome of the February-March assembly polls, seen as a barometer to gauge people’s mood ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections, had the Congress’ epitaph written all over.
The party not only lost Punjab miserably, with both the state’s Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu biting the dust, it could win only two seats in UP notwithstanding the high-decibel campaign by the Gandhi siblings Rahul and Priyanka.
As a consequence of the rout, the Congress now is in the same league as the AAP, which will also helm two states, further losing its standing among anti-BJP parties contemplating a broad-based coalition against the saffron party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP’s showing also indicated that its handling of the devastating second wave of Covid last year and the agrarian unrest over the three contentious farm laws, which were subsequently withdrawn, did not have a major impact on its electoral fortunes.
AAP Revolution
Hailing the AAP’s performance in Punjab as a “revolution”, party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said with their huge mandate, the people have said that Kejriwal is not a terrorist.
While addressing AAP leaders and workers at the party headquarter here, the Delhi Chief Minister also asked them to practice politics of love and said the coming days belong to India.
Aam Aadmi Party chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann Punjab said the oath-taking ceremony of the new cabinet will be held at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Nawanshahr district.
The thrust areas for his government, he said, would be improving the condition of schools, health infrastructure, bringing back industry, making agriculture profitable, providing security to women and improving sports infrastructure.
2022 Decides 2024?
Lauding party workers for ensuring an early Holi by making BJP victorious in four states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the 2022 Assembly verdict from Uttar Pradesh has “decided the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections”.
“It is a day of zest and festivities and this enthusiasm is for India’s democracy,” Modi said, while addressing BJP workers at the party’s headquarters following its win in four state polls, and described it as ‘jeet ka chauka’.
He said Uttar Pradesh has given many prime ministers but for the first time it has reelected a chief minister after he had served a full term.
The prime minister said that governance delivery has been made better and transparent in the last few years, while delivering the poor their rights.
Modi further said, “BJP karyakartas had promised me that Holi would begin from 10th March this year, and they have kept their promise. These workers worked 24X7 and were successful in winning the trust of the people across states.”
“BJP’s vote share has increased in Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Goa, even after being incumbent. All exit polls were proven incorrect in Goa, and the people of Goa have given us the chance to serve them for the third consecutive time,” he said.
In Goa, he said, the BJP has emerged as the single largest party and even after being in power for 10 years, the number of BJP seats in the state has increased.
“BJP has created a new history in Uttarakhand too,” he said, while referring to the BJP winning for the second consecutive time.