UP: The Gap Reduces
The India Commentary view
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-03-12 03:47:22
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The India Commentary view
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The results of the elections in India's largest and politically most vital state of Uttar Pradesh show a basic shift - from a state that had two major regional parties locking horns with the two major national parties in multi-cornered contests (where the contestants were sometimes reduced due to alliances), it is now becoming a state where future contests are likely to be between the BJP led NDA alliance and the alliance led by Samajwadi Party (SP). This fact has been forcefully stated by the electorate which has decisively rejected the Congress and also the BSP, to some extent, this time.
The Congress lost 4 percent vote share to come down from 6.5% to under 2.5% which means that it is now below even the borderline of popularity. 97% of its candidates lost their deposits. It won just two seats in a house of 404. The BSP won just 1 seat and its vote share came down from 22.2 percent in 2017 to below 12.9% now, a loss of more than 9%. 72% of its candidates lost their deposits. The SP, on the other hand, increased its vote share by more than 10% to 32% from 21.8% in 2017. It won 111 seats this time against the 47 it could manage in the last elections.
The BJP got 41.3% vote share this time and its allies added another 2.5% to the kitty making it a combined 43.8% for the NDA alliance. The SP had 32% while its allies added 2.5% to make it 34.5% for them. Hence, from a difference of almost 18% in vote share between the two leading parties in 2017, it has now come down to below 10%. This must be a cause of worry for the BJP as this means that even a 5% swing away from it can lead to huge losses.
