Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led the BJP to one of the biggest victories ever in Uttar Pradesh, the crucial state that sends 75 members to the Lok Sabha in 2019, all but guaranteeing for himself a second term two years before the general elections become due.
Statistics showed that the BJP swept all before it; experts noted that for the first time it appeared that UP had not voted along caste and religious lines.
Discarding the pro-upper caste image, the BJP gave 119 seats to non-Yadav OBC candidates, struck an alliance and gave eight seats to an unknown outfit of the Rajbhars (Dalits) called Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj.
Though the BJP played the OBC and non-Jatav cards, the result indicated a massive reverse polarisation against the Opposition's alleged “minority appeasement”.
There may be criticism that Mr Modi subtly played the polarisation card by stoking the ideas of nationalism and Hindutva and speaking of graveyards and power supply for different communities.
But the results showed that the BJP — which did not field a single Muslim candidate — had won seats in seats with a predominant Muslim population, including in Deoband. The historic victory is being viewed as a verdict in favour of the Prime Minister's demonetisation of high-value currency notes last year.
The victory was as big as that of Indira Gandhi in 1971, who won a landslide with her slogan: “Log kehte hain Indira hatao, main kahti hun garibi hatao (people say remove Indira, I say remove poverty)”.
The PM’s riposte was, “Yeh log kehte hain Modi hataon, main kehta hun kala dhan hatao (the Opposition says remove Modi, I say remove black money)” more than convinced every section that here was a leader who meant what he said.
