Uttar Pradesh wants to get rid of misgovernance of SP, BSP: BJP

A difference of just about five to seven per cent in the vote share of the two major players in the 2012 Assembly elections and 2014 Lok Sabha elections had upset all calculation in the state with the SP and the BSP citadels coming crumbling down.

Meanwhile, BJP appears upbeat on its prospects in states like Punjab, Manipur and Uttarakhand. Counting of votes for all the states will be held on March 11.

Modi also questioned the Samajwadi Party government why sugarcane farmers in the state were not being paid.

Early polls have given AAP a good chance to win. The Aam Admi Party has also appeared to have lost momentum in Punjab and Goa.

A good showing in Uttar Pradesh is vital for the BJP, which now has a majority in India’s lower house of parliament. Indeed, Parrikar, a former chief minister, is part of the BJP’s core election committee and has spent several days camping and campaigning in Goa.

The BJP seems to be steadily improving its standing in the State in last one year as the party already clocked 17,000 Km track, touching each constituency, during “Parivartan Yatra”, last year. Twenty-three of these have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes candidates. “During these five years, there were many murder cases.So, there is no law and order in the state”.

Goa goes to polls on 4 February though the results will only be declared on 11 March, along with those of four other states.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) also announced ceilings for campaign expenditures: 2.8 million rupees (Rs, around $41,000) for candidates in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand, and Rs 2 million (around $30,000) in Manipur and Goa.

As has been the case in previous opinion polls, Mayawati has the highest approval ratings when it comes to the question of who’s best placed to handle law and order in UP.

“In Uttar Pradesh, the symbol of “cycle” has become the representative of a power struggle within a family”.

Sanjay Kumar, professor and director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and Deputy Director of Lokniti, joins The Quint for a Facebook Live to talk about the Uttar Pradesh elections and its political ramifications.