Bhubaneswar: It was an enormous victory for the reigning BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the Punjab assembly election, demolishing the Congress, Akalis and the saffron party, single-handedly.
In Goa, the BJP proved its mettle winning 50 percent of the seats in the 40-member assembly while Congress performed reasonably with 12 wins. With a victory on two seats in the coastal state, AAP has announced its influence, beyond north India.
In Manipur, the ruling BJP continued its winning streak clinching 32 out of 60 seats.
While Yogi Adityanath-led BJP’s success in UP created a record of sorts, AAP’s performance in Punjab is a democracy imperative. In this piece, we take a look at what leaders from across the political spectrum have to say on the people’s mandate in these elections.
So far as Uttar Pradesh is concerned, political analysts are of the opinion that Yogi worked hard for the saffron party’s performance what we see today. It was well before the elections were announced, the Gorakhnath Peeth seer started touring those constituencies which were considered to be Samajwadi Party bastions.
If sources are to be believed, Yogi conducted more than 200 rallies and road shows which had a telling impact on the electorate. BJP insiders are of the opinion that not being a traditional RSS-BJP schooled candidate, worked to Yogi’s advantage and his acceptance where BJP was considered weak.
Apart from the Yogi-factor, PM Modi’s charisma continues to pronounce results for the BJP. The State BJP leaders have admitted that Modi’s mass appeal combined with Amit Shah’s organisational skills have decimated the opposition, time and again.
“Impressive victories in four out of five states which went into elections this year is a testimony to the people’s trust in BJP’s governance,” a senior BJP leader in Bhubaneswar said.
Coming to the Aam Aadmi Party which debuted in Punjab barely eight years back has swept the polls with a bigger mandate than the Congress got in 2017. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party broomed Punjab’s bipolar polity dominated by the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) alternatively for the last six decades.
AAP’s CM candidate, comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann will be the first non-Congress, non-SAD to hold the top post in Punjab. Such was the disenchantment of Punjab voters from traditional parties and leaders that stalwarts had to bite dust.
Congress chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, five-time CM and Akali veteran Parkash Singh Badal, two-time CM Capt Amarinder Singh, former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, and state Congress chief Navjot Sidhu suffered humiliating defeats.
While the x-factor of AAP played a crucial role in the 10-year-young party’s victory in Punjab, poll pundits are of the opinion that Congress is itself responsible for the grand-old party’s debacle. “People of the north Indian state were done with the irregularities in Akali regime and were in no mood to vote the SAD back to power,” a local leader of AAP in Bhubaneswar said.
The tantrums and theatrics demonstrated by the top leadership of the Congress at the penultimate hour proved to be the last nail in the coffin. Mann’s son-of-the-soil appeal increased as he campaigned through the state promising an addiction-free Punjab.
“Besides, the voters were attracted to AAP’s Delhi model of governance which focuses on health and education, better civic infrastructure, services for the poor, and power and water at cheap rates,” he added.
