The results of the Uttar Pradesh municipal polls have been coming out gradually on Friday. And Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has passed his first crucial test.
Though these were municipal elections, they held huge significance for the ruling BJP. About eight months ago, the BJP had won the UP Assembly polls by an astonishing margin and in an unexpected move, the party high command made Adityanath the chief minister of the state. When Adityanath was made the CM, many party leaders opposed the move. Now, a success in these polls would not only silence the opponents of Adityanath inside the party, but even the opposition, which has been questioning his rule.
Furthermore, the success of the BJP would enhance Adityanath's credibility before the electorate of the state because municipal polls are fought on local issues. The results would give the chief minister a chance to prove his leadership qualities in the eyes of his bosses.
Adityanath himself was very serious about these polls because he knew that his future would depend upon the results. He had addressed around 40 meetings to convince people of the state about the good governance given by his government.
The BJP scored a major success in Ayodhya, which went to polls for the first time as a corporation. It seems that its Hindutva card has been working well and another city of religious importance, Mathura, also went to the BJP's kitty.
But the BJP suffered a minor jolt in Adityanath's district, where the party lost a couple of wards including old Gorakhpur. Incidentally, Adityanath had cast his vote in Gorakhpur.
The BJP seems to be happy with the poll results. Party leader Zafar Islam expressed happiness while other leaders said that Adityanath had passed his first test. “The results would have a ripple effect on Gujarat polls too and convey a message of the BJP's invincibility,” a leader said.
Out of 16 corporations in the entire state, 10 have gone to the BJP so far, which itself means a grand success to Adityanath and his team. After the BJP, the BSP gave a tough fight from the opposition; the performance of the Congress and the SP was disappointing. The Congress was completely routed in Rahul Gandhi’s turf of Amethi.
SP leader Akhilesh Yadav seemed to be in ‘walkover mode’ since the beginning. He stayed away from active campaigning, and selection of SP candidates too was not up to the mark. Even on the Congress’ side, no 'big' leader came for campaigning and Raj Babbar, the state Congress head, carried the onus.
Commenting on the SP’s poor performance, party leader Sunil Yadav said that the results were a cause of worry for the party and there were possibilities that after the poll results, the SP would witness major changes in the organisation at district level and among in-charges of cities.
In all 16 municipal corporations,198 wards and 498 nagar panchayats had gone to the polls in three phases.
