Top leaders of the BJP deliberated on poll strategies for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will seek the public mandate for a second time. With the precipitation of events like Lakhimpur Kheri, the BJP government in the state is under considerable pressure.
BJP president J.P. Nadda, general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is also the election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, state unit president Swatantar Dev Singh and general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal were among those who attended the meeting that lasted for nearly five hours. The party has prepared a blueprint for holding 100 programmes in 100 days. According to multiple reports, the focus of the BJP will be on the development in the state, good administration and welfare schemes implemented.
Major opposition parties like the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have already laid out their plans to take on the BJP in the state. Crime and farmer protests are the two focal planks.
Alleging that the crime rate in UP has grown exponentially, SP's Akhilesh Yadav said: "The chief minister lies on the matter of crime and does not have any information on the NCRB data. The highest number of crimes against women is committed in UP," he asserted. "Even saints are not safe in UP where over 40 sadhu and saints have been killed," he said. He said the government should withdraw three farm laws as it would help business houses take away farmers' land. "The farmers will teach a lesson to the BJP in the coming assembly polls," he stated.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had assured that issues of farmers will be included in the manifesto for Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. Priyanka had also dubbed the Uttar Pradesh police, under CM Yogi, as "soft on criminals but brutal with common people".
