Giving BJP a walkover
BJP campaign for UP elections 2017.
The results of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections mark a significant moment in Indian politics. Though there were elections to four other state assemblies, it is the Uttar Pradesh elections which have a major and immediate bearing on the direction of Indian politics.
Firstly, what the sweeping victory of the BJP in the biggest state of the country means in political terms, is that the right-wing offensive, which began with the Lok Sabha elections of May 2014, continues undiminished. The BJP victory was not surprising, but the scale of the success was unexpected. The BJP had polled an unprecedented 42.3 per cent of the vote in the Lok Sabha election, winning 71 out of the 80 seats in the state. Even if there was a four to five per cent swing away from the BJP, it would still have won a majority in the assembly. But what was unexpected was the BJP maintaining the momentum gained in 2014. There has been only a fractional drop from the percentage polled then.
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