The analysts do see the brighter opportunities for others as against the Yogi style of dominating the other communities in the state during his term. He had not contributed to the last assembly election. After his failure in the bye-elections immediately after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, even the Sangh Parivar could not risk the disaster and had left the last election battle in 2017 to NaMo who had delivered 71 of 80 Lok Sabha seats to the party and demolished the opponents by winning support of their tradition support base. NaMo had repeated his fine hold by delivering 325 of 403 seats of the assembly, much to the surprise of every political leader and analyst even the Sangh chief.
Yogi was the chosen nominee of the Sangh and also counter nominee for the Prime Ministerial replacement even though he could not win a single of three bye-polls for the Lok Sabha. He was used to terrorize NaMo by putting him as the sole electioneering head for polls in a seven states in 2018. The party lost polls in six states but it did not make either the Sangh or him to think over. Yogi continued to be on the Sangh list of successors to replace NaMo.
The Sangh support may have led Yogi to adopt a style of rule to suppress not only the Muslims but also OBCs and the Dalits. But suddenly he realized in April 2021 that neither he nor the Sangh could win the public support and turned to be humble and enthusiastic follower of NaMo by hailing him through news paper advertisement campaigns. He continued to campaign through advertisements to claim the economic achievements in his term.
It seems he overlooked the social transformation of rural folks with the higher literacy rate, adoption of small family norms and lure of seeking the dignity for life. They had shunned politics of charity and responded positively to the promise of the dignity that he offered in three polls two to the Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019 and the 2017 assembly poll. He did not treat the Muslims with same yard stick as other leaders in his party and successfully divided the Muslim homes to win over support of the Muslim women. Even the former chief minister Mayavati was stunned victory of the BJP candidates in areas that had the dominant Muslim proportion to wipe out her Bahujan Samaj Party.
Much to discomfort of the conservative elements around the chief minister Yogi he had failed to win over the sections that NaMo had on over. His absence in the campaign now will tell the reality. The Sangh and its nominees failed to understand the significance of NaMo consistently seeking the vote for the Modi government and not for the BJP in the polls. The current polls will decide the strength of the Sangh in the political arena to end the existence of its political wing.
In 1984, four years after launching of the BJP as the secular, the Sangh had refused to support it with its election machinery now the Prime Minister NaMo has abstained from use of his efforts to win votes for the Sangh nominee. The BJP and Vajpayee were thus forced to surrender to the Sangh in 1989. Today roles are reversed and individual has challenged the Sangh.
THE HIGH STAKES FOR THE BJP
Vijay Sanghvi - 2022-02-05 10:42
The stakes of the Bharatiya Janata Party are much higher than its opponents in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. The ruling party is not battling for only regaining power in the state but also for its future as the fight is more internal to prove that it can survive even without the full throttled support from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. NaMo has avoided campaigning for the party. The chief Minister Aditya Nath Yogi is his battle under the belief as if the Kshatriya community alone constituted the state electorate. His enthusiasm is based on his mistaken belief as was his ruling style for five years. The experts do not share either his enthusiasm or claims, or of union home minister Amit Shah for easy victory to the ruling party in the state.