The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not seem to be in a comfortable position in the electoral contest in Uttar Pradesh despite its overwhelming organisational power and electoral machinery. The BJP even “managed” many small and medium parties in such a way that there would be some division in the votes of its main opposition alliance. Yet, the party, it seems, did not quite settle the issue of public dissatisfaction sufficiently.
Two major strategies that the party was confident would work seem to be failing this time round. One was the BJP’s strategy of polarisation, which worked in the 2017 Assembly elections and the 2019 general elections. The second was the “magic” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies. By the last week of February, when it became clear that neither of these was working, the BJP’s supporters began to grow uneasy. The weakening of the impact of both aggressive Hindutva politics and Mr. Modi’s speeches in this important election is a remarkable phenomenon.
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