26

Feb

Polls in U.P.  : David vs Goliath battle in the offing

image

Today’s Edition

New Delhi, 26 February 2024

Dr Satish Misra

A close-up of a person with glasses Description automatically generated

The announcement of a seat-sharing deal between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress for the electoral battle for the country’s biggest state of Uttar Pradesh electing 80 MPs for the Lok Sabha made on February 21 has undoubtedly thrown up a challenge to the resource-rich and no-holds-barred BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The sharing arrangement between the two parties under which the Congress is going to contest 17 seats and the SP 62 seats with one seat being contested by Azad Samaj Party of the prominent Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad is the first necessary step in the crucial election. The electoral outcome at this juncture appears to be heavily tilted in favour of the BJP which under the command of the Modi-Shah duo has never been shy of using any means-fair or foul to defeat their opponents.

In fact, the contest in UP is between the weak versus strong with the former fighting for deprived and downtrodden sections of society and the latter trying to defend the interests of the empowered and well off sections.        

The BJP has many advantages and pluses for the electoral battle. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his larger than life image which has been created by the massive propaganda machinery that hides his cunning and ruthless guile side of his personality while projecting him as a well-meaning politician who is devoted to make the country “Vishwaguru” is the most effective weapon in the ruling party’ armoury.    

Despite having a decisive lead over its political opponents, the BJP-RSS was not sure of its victory in 2024 general elections and to hide its failure to resolve existential problems of livelihood it went out of the way to inaugurate the Ram temple in Ayodhya on 22 January.                 

The ruling party in state as well in Centre is resource rich and its governments in New Delhi and Lucknow have no hesitation to use state machinery and its agencies against its political opponents and rivals.  

With a well-oiled electoral machinery and big media that is ready to serve the interests of the ruling dispensation at its disposal, the BJP stands far ahead its political opponents. Advantages are further consolidated as there is a BJP government of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who governs with an iron fist and is known for bulldozing his opponents.

Notwithstanding a huge lead over the opponents and a surfeit of advantages that the BJP seem to enjoy, neither the Prime Minister nor other top leaders are confident of a victory in the coming electoral battle which gets reflected in its over indulgence in psychological warfare. Loud claims of crossing the tally of 400 seats in the coming general elections that is 97 more than in 2019 defy ground realities. That is precisely why the ruling party’s poll strategists and electoral managers were overactive in creating all possible hurdles on the way to thwart the seat-sharing deal between the Congress and SP till the last minute encouraged by their success in weaning away the Rastriya Lok Dal and its leader Jayant Choudhary from the INDIA block but to their dismay the seat-sharing arrangement has been arrived at.

While the deal between the two parties helps in consolidating their respective supporters and followers, the two parties now need to work hard to present a logical and convincing narrative to the people at large as why it is crucial to defeat the BJP and a sound beginning was made at Agra during the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra where Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Akhilesh Yadav addressed a massive gathering highlighting issues of unemployment, rising prices and lack of opportunities for backward and Dalit segments of society.

The two parties must take ample precaution to avoid any difference of views on issues which would be exploited by the BJP and its friendly media. At the same time, the two parties must focus on their pluses while reducing their negatives. Leadership of both the parties must tap the aspirational youth telling them as how their future is being ruined by showing them dreams which have nothing to do with hard realities.

The SP-Congress-Azad Samaj Party alliance must avoid trap of communal polarization that the BJP-RSS are deft in laying and the saffron forces will surely do again. The leadership of the three parties must work out a strategy to build an effective shield against the nefarious attempts to sabotage the social harmony.  

Undoubtedly there is deep-seated resentment and anger in society and people are looking for a credible alternative to the denial of freedoms and subjugation of their fundamental rights by the BJP regime. Students and youth is facing repression on campuses and they need to be reassured.

If the opposition alliance is able to keep the momentum generated at Agra and carefully builds upon its advantages giving expression to the voice of the disadvantaged and tapping the anger prevailing in these sections then it will surely emerge victorious defeating the BJP in a majority of Lok Sabha constituencies in coming election.         

(Words 865)

---------------

  • Share:

About Us

We must explain to you how all seds this mistakens idea off denouncing pleasures and praising pain was born and I will give you a completed accounts..

Contact Us

Contact Info

  • 70, Gyan Khand- 4, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad. Uttar Pradesh.
  • +91-9810533682
  • info@mediamap.co.in
  • Week Days: 09.00 to 18.00 Sunday: Closed