On the eve of crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results, there’s an atmosphere of distrust and doubt in the air, with Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav raising questions over the electronic voting machines (EVM) and exhorting his party workers to be alert towards any attempts to steal the mandate.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters at Hazratganj and the SP office on Vikramaditya Marg are just 3 km apart, but there is a vast difference in mood between the two. At the BJP office, spokespersons armed with a long list of reasons were trying to outdo each other in making extravagant predictions banking on the “silent voter”.
If the BJP wins, as the exit polls are suggesting, it will be the first time in three decades that an incumbent government would return to power in U.P. “There is a powerful undercurrent in our favour, especially among the women. Even if the man of the family has gone and voted for the SP, they have voted for us. This is true for many Muslim women too,” Rakesh Tripathi, BJP spokesperson said. He claims the BJP will better its 2017 tally of 312 to win 340 seats.
