BJP loses ground, SP gains in Uttar Pradesh rural poll

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4

Coming ahead of the 2022 Assembly poll, the results of zila panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh are not so encouraging for the Yogi Adityanath government.

Varanasi goes SP way

Of the 40 zila panchayat seats in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi, the SP won 15 seats, BJP eight, BSP five, Apna Dal three, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party one and Independents three.

Waning trust

• The reason behind BJP’s below-expectation show is the economic marginalisation of farmers and labourers.
• People have lost hope and trust in BJP policies as the government has failed to fulfil its promises, says agri expert Prof Sudhir Panwar.

The latest trends indicate that not only has the Samajwadi Party given it a good fight, the saffron party has also lost considerable ground in Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura, and Lucknow districts.

“The primary reason behind the BJP’s below-expectation show is the disenchantment of rural people with the state government and its policies. The farmer agitation is not the only reason because its impact is limited to western UP, while the party has lost throughout the state,” said agriculture expert Prof Sudhir Panwar, who is also allied with the Samajwadi Party.

Of the 40 zila panchayat seats in Varanasi, PM Modi’s parliamentary constituency, the SP won 15 seats, BJP eight, BSP five, Apna Dal three, and the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party one. Three seats went to Independents. In Ayodhya, the SP won 24 seats, BJP six, BSP five and Independents five.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “The Samajwadi Party is the voters’ first preference. The BJP’s poor show in the constituencies of the PM and CM shows the people have rejected the saffron party.”

Panwar said: “There are several reasons for the BJP not doing well. The dominant among them is the economic marginalisation of farmers and labourers over the past four years. People have lost hope and trust in BJP policies and promises as the government has failed to fulfil the promises made in the party’s manifesto.”