Significantly, the top leaders of RSS were also involved the discussions. Senior leaders of RSS are also visiting state capital to interact with state leaders.

It was very shocking for the BJP that it lost in Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura as these districts always remained the main focus of the party leadership which thrived on the agenda of Hindutva.

At a time when the grand temple is under construction in Ayodhya and a legal battle underway to liberate Varanasi and Mathura, the defeat of party-supported candidates has unnerved the party’s central leadership.

BJP is worried about the public perception about handling of the pandemic in state when several MPs, including Union minister and MLAs, wrote letters to chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressing helplessness in arranging medicines, oxygen and hospital beds in the their areas. Some of them also complained of blackmarketing of oxygen and medicines.

The recovery of bodies in holy river Ganga and pictures of large-scale burial on the banks of the river in Pryagraj and other cities also unnerved BJP and the state government.

There are indications that a ministerial reshuffle could take place in near future as a part of damage control.

In order to ensure the involvement of the people's representatives in controlling the pandemic chief minister Yogi Adiyanath has appealed for the adoption of primary health centres by MPs, MLAs and MLCs.

The spokesman of the state government said that it was due to the continuous efforts of chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the strategy of UP government that corona cases have come down drastically in UP in a few days.

The results of local bodies have boosted the morale of Samajwadi Party and its national president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who has been highly critical of the handling of the pandemic by the Yogi government.

Though Akhilesh Yadav was not seen hitting the road during last four years, his party got the advantage in panchayat polls for better organisational network at grassroots and caste support.

After the success of his party in the panchayat polls, Akhilesh Yadav is in mood to work out a formula of alliance with smaller parties for a rainbow coalition of different castes especially backward and most backward classes. Samajwadi Party is also looking for those dalits who were not with BSP and Mayawati.

Recently Akhilesh Yadav played the aggressive dalit card by organising dalit deepawali by asking his party leaders to put light around statues of Ambedkar all over the state. Dalit bastis were also lit by Samajwadi Party leaders and workers. This was a big attempt by Akhilesh Yadav to reach out to dalits to broaden the party base which helped in panchayat polls.

Surprisingly, BSP also did well in panchayat polls irrespective of the fact that Mayawati was labelled as the B team of BJP by the other opposition parties.

During last four years and especially since March last year Mayawati was seen advising the central and state governments. Mayawati was not seen leading any agitation against the government.

There is no doubt that at a time when political experts and opposition leaders started saying that BSP would not do well in assembly in view of erosion of support base and exodus of senior leaders to other parties, the good performance in panchayat polls has surprised the party leadership.

The success in panchayat polls will certainly boost the morale of the BSP leadership which could bargain better if any party wanted understanding or alliance with them in the assembly polls.

Congress leadership is also happy with the results as the party did better since last polls held in 2015. UPCC president Ajay Laloo and other leaders have given the entire credit to Priyanka Gandhi for her management. Eversince Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was given the charge of UP, she is in direct touch with state leaders. Prior to corona she used to visit UP very frequently and led agitations also. During pandemic also Congress was seen fighting with Yogi government on various issues and state leaders courted arrest also.

Priyanka Gandhi also addressed different sections of society through video conferences. She took the initiative of arranging buses for migrant labour and medicines and oxygen for those suffering from corona. She is now busy working to strengthen the party organisation at the booth level. She has the mobile number of these booth level workers and can contact them as and when she desires.

Congress is busy in expanding its network all over the state with the appointment of committed workers and office- bearers to prepare for next assembly polls. It would be worth mentioning here that during last assembly polls Samajwadi Party had an alliance with Congress and in 2019 SP joined hands with BSP. (IPA Service)