Samajwadi Party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav and his chief minister son Akhilesh Yadav face the biggest challenge to perform in remaining three years or be prepared to be voted out of power. SP got almost 22 per cent votes but could get only five Lok Sabha seats, that too with Yadav family members only.

While Mulayam Singh Yadav could get the two seats for himself in Mainpuri and Azamgarh and his daughter-in-law Dimple managed to retain seat in Kannauj, the nephews Dharmendra won in Badaun and Akshay got Firozabad seat.

The main worry for Mulayam and his son Akhilesh Yadav is that Samajwadi Party faced erosion of core vote bank of the party for the first time. The combination of Muslim and Yadav with the help of backwards and upper caste which helped Samajwadi Party to grab power in 2012 assembly polls was broken in this election. The upper caste went to BJP in the name of Modi wave and there was shift in Yadav votes too for BJP. Muslims were divided in various political parties. In this situation, Samajwadi Party could get on only five seats with 22 per cent votes.

The loss of 18 Lok Seats from 2009 has shocked Mulayam and shattered his long cherished dream to become prime minister or at least remain an important leader for balance of power at the centre.

The elections results also established that there was great anti-incumbency working against non-performance of Akhilesh Yadav government during last two years and deterioration in law and order in the state.

Although Mulayam had been saying in his election campaign speeches that he should not be punished for follies of his son’s government but people of state did not listen to him.

Now Mulayam Singh is under tremendous pressure to become chief minister himself to control the situation as Akhilesh had no free hand to function with the presence of so many uncles in the minister and the party organisation.

Another prime ministerial candidate Mayawati also got a jolt when her party BSP which had 20 seats in 2009 was decimated despite getting 20 per cent votes in the state.

It was unbelievable for political pundits too that Mayawati could not get even a single seat in Lok Sabha which happened for the first time since party was formed. Her dream to become prime minister and make her party balance of power at the centre were shattered by the unexpected results.

Mayawati herself blamed that she faced the wrath of voters due to heavy anti-incumbency against Congress and she paid the price for having supported UPA government during last once decade.

Although Mayawati played her card well when she gave 21 tickets to Brahmins and 19 to Muslims, she was expecting that her formula for social engineering would pay rich dividends.

Mayawati had been urging Muslims and backward communities to vote for BSP but her appeal was dumped in wake of Modi wave.

Despite her claim that her core voters were intact but fact remains that there was a shift in dalit voters too towards BJP in the name of Modi government at the centre. This correspondent during his visit to stronghold areas of BSP noticed that dalits were very vocal about their preference for Modi.

Although Mayawati had been making frantic appeals to Muslims to support her party to make dalit-Muslim a winning combination but all in wane. Muslims could not trust Mayawati that she would not support BJP should Modi get less MPs. The fact remains that Mayawati became chief minister thrice with the help of BJP.

Shocked by the results of rejection of her party Mayawati said that she did not get votes from Muslims and backward communities but at the same time, she claimed that her core voters of dalit remained with her party.

The political pundits opine that even dalits are not happy with Mayawati as she could not protect them from atrocities of people of upper caste in villages during Akhilesh Yadav regime. There was no protest from BSP against Akhilesh Yadav government. That is why there was shift in dalit votes to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister.

Now Mayawati is facing difficult task to win back her core voters and Muslims, backwards and convince them that she would look after their interest.

Although there was no projection of Rahul Gandhi as prime minister but there was perception that if Congress was voted to power he would occupy important position. The entire election was fought under his leadership as his mother Sonia Gandhi was not keeping well.

Although Congress Party got only two seats, that too in Rae Bareli and Amethi at seven per cent votes for party in the state, old timers remember days of 1977 after Emergency when Congress party could not win even a single seat in the wake of Janata wave.

Sonia-Rahul-Priyanka could not save Congress party which came down from 22 in 2009 to two this time and as many as six union ministers from UP were defeated.

Congress party will face tough time to revive the fortune of party in near future. Already senior Congress leaders are very much concerned with decline of fortune of party and they have resorted to write letters to Mrs Sonia Gandhi too seek appointment apprise her the problems being faced by party organisation in the state.

Demand is growing in the state that Priyanka Gandhi should replace Rahul Gandhi to take on political rivals and rebuild the party organisation in the state. (IPA Service)