After its stunning performance in the lok Sabha polls, an elated BJP is now focussing on Uttar Pradesh with its ‘Mission 2017’ eyeing to capture the Hindi heartland with an absolute majority.
Continuing its winning spree, the saffron party seems to have reversed its slogan, ‘Dilli jeeta ab UP ki bari’ and ‘Dilli ka rasta UP se jata hai’. The party is all set to ride high on the Modi wave.
All 71 MPs who have won from the State have already been directed to rejuvenate enthusiastic party cadre in their respective constituencies to highlight non-governance of the Samajwadi Party which has been reduced to a non-entity in the last general elections in the State. An erratic power supply and the poor law and order situation have always been the twin issues which the ruling party could never overcome during its governance and this time also these issues will turn out to be the last nail in the SP’s coffin in the forthcoming Assembly elections scheduled in 2017.
“The ruling party seems to have directed its officials not to supply proper power in the entire State except at five places from where the SP clan had won the lok Sabha polls. We will take up the issue with the CM. The BJP leaders are already lodging violent protests all over the State against the poor power supply and prevailing law and order situation,” laxmikant Bajpai, the State BJP chief told The Pioneer.
While the BJP is preparing its workers for the next battle of ballot, the SP and the BSP have also started setting up their cadre right. Having learnt a lesson by the drubbing in the lS polls, 36 SP leaders with the rank of Minister of State were removed by Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, while BSP supremo Mayawati dissolved all the organisational units of her party after the humiliating defeat in the 2014 lS polls.
The Modi wave in Uttar Pradesh had resulted in the SP tally coming down from 22 seats in 2009 to a historic low of five in 2014. While the SP was restricted to the boroughs of the Yadav first family, the BSP failed to win a single seat in UP. Mayawati had 20 MPs in the previous lok Sabha. In such circumstances, the leadership of the two UP-based parties was expected to take tough decisions for course correction keeping in mind the Assembly elections.
Mayawati also held a review meeting and scrapped all party units. All the seven zonal coordinators of the party were also removed. “There are fresh challenges before us and we will fight it out at any cost,” the BSP supremo said, addressing a meeting of her party leaders.
Ending the speculation over his stepping down as the Chief Minister and the State president of the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh indicated that he would continue to hold the twin posts. “The State Government has done commendable job. But we couldn’t communicate to the voters about our development works. Netaji (Mulayam) is taking review meetings to take organisational decisions. But we will continue to popularise our schemes,” he said.
Akhilesh ridiculed the PM on his promise to clean the Ganga. “let us see how he is going to clean the Ganga. I also belong to the place (Etawah) from where the Ganga flows. I will keep a watch for five years on the BJP’s agenda of cleaning the Ganga. I also want to see a clean Yamuna and Gomti,” the Chief Minister said.
After the poor show in the general elections, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav had pulled up Akhilesh at a meeting of party candidates recently. “We had won 35 seats when I was the CM in 2004. Even in this election, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, BJD chief Naveen Patnaik have won substantial number of seats in their States. It is only the SP under the rule of Akhilesh which has lost. He needs to explain why we have won only five seats in the State,” he had said.
Now the SP, the BSP as well as the Congress have pulled up their garters and are making all out efforts to rectify their mistakes in their last chance to make it to the top in UP Assembly elections.