The exit polls were projecting a correct scenario that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is going to sweep Uttar Pradesh and today when the counting of votes began, things started getting clearer. The BJP has finally emerged victorious by getting more than the majority numbers, 274, while decimating the opposition which, the results suggest, has failed to hold the ground. The party is back to power, while the feat might be projecting the overall mood of the country.
Holi is just a week away, but for the BJP as well as its supporters, the celebrations have come early even as the PM Modi said that the huge mandate given to the party by the people is a message in itself, even as he underlined the vital role was played by the first time voters. The victory of the BJP in UP also suggests the trust of people not only in the party but Prime Minister Modi as well as Yogi Adityanath who is being referred to as ‘bulldozer wale Baba’ in the state.
The huge mandate to BJP also points towards the effective and grassroots engagement of people by the party during the election campaigns. Though such campaigns witnessed implicit communal utterings—but that does not seem to have impacted the performance, because the BJP claims that it got the votes even from the people of minority communities.
On the other hand, while BJP faced a strong defeat in Punjab to Aam Admi Party (AAP), the PM reiterated that his party will be a force to reckon with in the state in times to come while underlining that the necessary steps would be taken to strengthen the structure and the foundation of the party in Punjab.
No matter what came to light during the election campaigning, the truth and the major takeaway is that people have reposed trust in NAMO and want BJP to rule UP again. It is something that has happened for the first time when a party that retained power for 5 years in UP manages to retain it; something BJP would be proud and jubilant about.
Lastly, in a democracy what counts and has weight is what people say. The people have decided to side-line the opposition for their failure in delivery; that’s what is visible on the ground today. However, the fact remains that in the absence of a vibrant and healthy opposition, democracy always remains in danger. The time has come for the opposition to buckle up, introspect, rewire and put up a strong face, again.
