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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Bypoll defeats no referendum on BJP policies, programmes: Yogi Adityanath

Bypoll defeats no referendum on BJP policies, programmes: Yogi Adityanath

Only development can fight opposition's 'caste politics', says BJP after setback in the recent bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies

A file photo of Yogi Adityanath (left) with BJP chief Amit Shah (centre) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Yogi government completes a year in office on Monday. Photo: HT

New Delhi: Development with a clear focus on delivery, especially to scheduled castes, tribes and other marginalized sections, will continue to remain the focus of the Uttar Pradesh government under chief minister Yogi Adityanath as it completes a year in office on 19 March.

The debacle of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies has not prompted a change in its strategy in the state with senior leaders and ministers in the government believing that only development can counter what they describe as the caste politics of the opposition in Uttar Pradesh.

Adityanath took oath as chief minister on 19 March last year when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) managed to win a historic mandate of 325 seats out of the 403 seats in the assembly.

“It has been a satisfying year for the state government especially from the point of view establishing rule of law, improving law and order situation and development initiatives of the government. The focus of the government would remain on development of the state and emphasis more on delivery to the people so that they benefit from the fruits of development. The people of the state would judge the state government for its development initiatives and the vote would be on development rather than caste basis," said Sidharth Nath Singh, health minister in the Uttar Pradesh government.

With just over a year left for the 2019 general elections, senior ministers in the UP government said that in the last one year the state government has tried to change the mindset of the administrative machinery in the state with its focus on greater accountability and zero tolerance on corruption.

“We have tried to change the work culture of the administration. The focus areas have been education, electricity for all, better law and order and health. Uttar Pradesh was the first state to announce farm loan waiver and there have been no allegations of corruption against the government," said Shrikant Sharma, UP power minister.

Ahead of the general elections, the state government has decided to concentrate on ensuring that there is better delivery of government initiatives to the financially weaker and marginalized sections of the people and on making the government more “consumer friendly".

Interestingly, during a meeting of chief ministers of BJP-ruled states with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, the party leadership told all CMs that state and central welfare measures should reach all the intended beneficiaries. Uttar Pradesh for the BJP-led NDA is significant because the ruling alliance had won 73 out of the 80 seats in the 2014 general elections, making the state instrumental in Narendra Modi’s win.

However, as the state government completes a year in office, a major political challenge has emerged in the form of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who have now joined hands. The possibility of the two parties forging a common platform with the Congress might pose a formidable challenge to the BJP in the coming general elections.

Political analyst say the BJP’s loss in Gorakhpur and Phulpur dealt a big jolt to the government both in the state and at the national level. “The two Lok Sabha seats were represented by the chief minister and deputy chief minister, so the loss puts a question mark on the ability of Yogi Adityanath to win elections for BJP in 2019. The coming together of SP and BSP will be the biggest challenge for BJP in the state," said A.K. Verma, a Kanpur-based political analyst and political science professor at Christ Church College.

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