Hindutva will be BJP’ key plank in UP byelection

For the BJP, it will be a blend of “Hindutva” and development that will win the crucial bypolls in Uttar Pradesh.

At a review meeting on poll preparedness, attended by senior state leaders including deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma and BJP national joint general secretary (organisation) and RSS man Shiv Prakash, it was decided that the “successful completion” of the Kumbh and the proposed “world’s tallest statue” of Lord Ram in the state should also be highlighted along with success stories of the Central and the state government’s schemes.

The abrogation of Article 370 has already “strengthened” the party’s “nationalist” agenda, which its poll managers feel has only “fortified” its position.

The RSS-BJP want to make sure that there is no repeat of the 2014 bypolls, when the BJP lost seven of the 11 seats held by it, barely four months after its stunning performance in the Lok Sabha polls and bagging 71 out of total 80 parliamentary seats in the state.

The Election Commission is yet to announce the date for the bypolls. After coming to power in the state in 2017, after almost 15 years, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, a “Hindutva icon” has taken many initiatives to promote the “cultural and traditional heritage” of the state, which is given the credit for bringing the BJP at the national political platform after the Ram Mandir movement of the 90s.

As part of the election strategy, a three-member team, which will also include a state minister, have been deputed for each Assembly seat where bypolls are scheduled. Thirteen seats will witness bypolls in the state, out of which 11 are those whose MLAs are now members of Parliament.

Of the remaining two, Hamirpur’s MLA from the BJP Ashok Chandel was disqualified following his conviction in a murder case and the Agra North seat fell vacant following the demise of BJP MLA Jagan Prasad Garg. Of the 11 Assembly seats, where bypolls are scheduled, nine were with the BJP, one was with BJP ally Apna Dal, while SP and BSP had one seat each.

The Central government and state government’s development projects and people-centric initiatives will be highlighted during campaigning.