UP Assembly Elections 2022

 "Holi has come early this time", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his victory speech at the BJP headquarters. The election slogan -- "Ayenge toh Yogi hi" became a reality as the BJP scored a resounding victory in Uttar Pradesh (UP). The party also decimated the Opposition in Uttarakhand, Manipur and after a neck and neck fight with Congress, retained Goa for the third consecutive time.

In a seemingly polarised electoral atmosphere that saw a straight contest between the ruling BJP and Samajwadi Party (SP), voters have sent 36 Muslim candidates to the 18th Uttar Pradesh Assembly, two more than the previous Assembly.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections that concluded on Thursday, banked largely on the consolidation of OBC leaders in almost all the major political parties. However, the poll results have shown up shocking results as a number of prominent OBC leaders have lost their seats.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesman Rakesh Tikait has said the BJP worked only to garner the maximum votes and has been successful in doing that. "We held farmer agitation successfully for 13 months. We are 'andolankari' and BJP is 'votekaari'. This time, all political parties took farmers seriously and included their welfare in their manifestos.

The Congress' disgruntled group is likely to convene a meeting on Saturday or Sunday to discuss the poll results as the leaders are upset with the party's performance in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. The G-23 group has been sidelined in the party since they raised the issue of reforms in the Congress and election for the top post.

BJP alliance partners Apna Dal and Nishad party have outperformed the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. As per the latest trend, both the BJP's alliance partners are together either leading or winning in 19 seats while Congress only won two and BSP is leading in one seat.

While the major political parties in Uttar Pradesh have been facing hiccups in maintaining their performance, it is the Apna Dal, led by Union Minister Anupriya Patel, that has steadfastly maintained its success rate in elections in the past decade. The Apna Dal contested 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh, and as per the latest data issued by the Election Commission, it won 12 of them.

The state voters have been solidly behind the BJP -- first in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, then in the 2017 Assembly elections, the 2019 parliamentary elections and now again in the 2022 Assembly polls. Despite all the votes the BJP has been able to get, it may be due to the Hindutva factor, however laced with social schemes of ration distribution during pandemic and the direct cash transfers to the farmers.

The Hyderabad MP, whose party contested 100 Assembly seats but drew a blank, was obviously referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's remark of "80 per cent versus 20 per cent". Owaisi said though the results were not to the party's expectations, it would continue to work in the state.

In 2021, during the peak of the farmers' protest on October 4, Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Teni's son mowed down half a dozen people under his car, including four farmers protesting against the now repealed three contentious farm laws. It was widely perceived that the farmers' anger would cost the BJP electorally in the district and to some extent in western Uttar Pradesh.