"Nothing Shines forever ... reflection from 2024 !! ::::: But here comes ... BJP's most talked about Chief Minister !! ::: Can he make 2027 "the Year of My Life" ?? :::: What could be next destination of this Hindu hardliner ? :: 'Ram Leher' went missing in UP ??

 In Focus - Yogi Adityanath

 Ambition - He may be sure - the rest of the world need not know 

 Two Major victories - 1. Becoming Chief Minister in 2017

                                      2. Winning UP polls in 2022

Next test == 2027 Assembly elections

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at Gorakhpur 

The saffron-clad Adityanath, born Ajay Singh Bisht in 1972, is 54 -years-old.

That means he is 22-years younger than Narendra Modi, who was born on Sept 17, 1950.

In 2017 and in several elections after March 2017; Adityanath emerged the new face of the BJP. There was a problem associated with that. He perhaps became "direct competitor" to Amit Shah - now trusted friend of many years to 'numero uno' of Indian politics, Narendra Modi. 

Even if both the leaders have not said anything about being rivals to one another; the media is convinced they are.  

Pm Modi : With Atal family in 2018 

UP strongman Yogi changed a lot about politics in his state. 

 
For long playing up caste cards to the hilt, the BSP of Mayawadi and Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party dominated political mind space in Uttar Pradesh. Even the defeat of 2017 and 2022 did not change their politics, but in 2022 assembly polls and later in the elections to the Urban Local bodies; ULB; the Lotus party came out with flying colours.  

The BJP managed to pick up 55 of the 147 seats reserved for OBCs. 

Akhilesh Yadav also failed to win over the non-Yadav OBC votes and the saffron outfit decided to work well in the Yadav heartland and other areas.  Take another set of statistics. 

Out of 82 SC-reserved seats for chairpersons in Nagar Panchayats, the BJP won a maximum of 37, followed by SP with 14, and Mayawati-led BSP could win only five seats. 

It is also worth taking note that among OBC candidates fielded by political parties in Nagar Panchayat chairperson seats, 90 of the BJP’s nominees were elected. Independents won 83. Out of the 545 Nagar panchayat chairperson seats, Samajwadi Party candidates won 38, while BSP of Mayawati got only 23. 

Of the 90 OBC candidates of the BJP, 27 were elected in unreserved seats.    

Adityanath is chief priest of the state's famed Gorakhnath (Shiva) temple in Gorakhpur, the region where he wields unquestionable political influence perhaos also because of his hard-line views on Hindu religion and practice.  

But Yogi and BJP suffered a major setback in 2024 parliamentary polls. One issue was joblessness of the middleclass. Narratives sold. 

A decade back before the crucial 2014 polls; the BJP had promised jobs would be the top priority. Yet unemployment has barely budged despite India being the world’s fastest growing major economy. 

Four-fifths of its unemployed are young people, said surveys in 2024.

It was also alleged that more working-age women were employed that year as a percentage of the workforce in Nepal and Bangladesh than in India. 

The BJP detractors sold another powerful line : The fruits of growth are landing in the lap of India’s rich, drawn almost exclusively from country’s the upper castes who back the BJP. 

Congress made a big 'recovery' winning 99 Lok Sabha seats

Why BJP went so wrong in 2024 polls?

The Lotus party, a state leader said, had reports that workers in several constituencies such as Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Fatehpur Sikri, Mohanlalganj, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Faizabad and Jaunpur were not happy with the choice of candidates but the objections were overlooked.

The argument was Modi magic will help sail the boat. It did not. 

In contrast, Akhilesh Yadav choreographed his Samajwadi Party’s election strategy revolving around the theme of ‘Roti, Kapada sasti Ho and Dawai Pani Muft Ho’ (People should get cheap bread and butter and water and medicine free)."  And it gave dividends. 

Was Yogi-Amit Shah differences really damaging ?

Perceived friction between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi and Amit Shah became a major talking point post electoral setbacks, notably after the BJP's reduced tally in Uttar Pradesh.

The opposition narratives and media analyses framed these rumored differences as a deep leadership tussle or a clash over future political succession.

 A 90 year old voter in Punjab, 2024 Lok Sabha elections 

 

There were other facets. The self-interest of a community (Muslims) was apparently hit by Modi's culture of politics and the politics of culture he tried. 

Developments, house for poor including Muslims and good roads and toilet did not matter. The Muslims united to vote for Trinamool in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. This was not communal  !! 

But Hindus voting for Ram temple was communal? 

Do not miss the rejoice in Pakistani newspaper headline that described Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu as 'pro-Muslim' leaders !! 

The so-called 'Ram Leher' went missing. 

Why BJP lost Ayodhya and Faizabad? Why UP voters simply turned anti-BJP and anti-Modi-Yogi team ? 

Perhaps more importantly, why could not BJP strategists led by Amit Shah and supervised by the Prime Minister  read the missive of people's angst ?

'Times of India' said :

"Nothing Shines forever -- Not even Brand Modi" 

The BJP and Yogi took some corrective steps in by-polls later but overall 2027 battle will be tough.  

ends