Lok Sabha polls: BJP nervous a day before 3rd phase polling in UP

A day before the third phase polling in Uttar Pradesh is set to take place, Bharatiya Janata Party is nervous as its senior party leaders believe that BJP will suffer a massive loss in the first two phases of polling and blame its sitting MPs for the possible debacle.

A senior party leader told this reporter that if Bharatiya Janata Party had changed 40% of its sitting MPs, as it planned earlier, it would have been easy for BJP to touch the half mark. The scenario looks grim now, as per sources.

What makes BJP apprehensive is the report they are receiving from booths which says that party may win 5 out of 16 seats which have gone to polls in first two phases. “The report from the booth presidents is not very encouraging. The alliance has worked well. The Dalits and Muslims have voted together which is the worrying sign for the party,” the leader said on condition of anonymity for obvious reasons.

The BJP campaign rested on the booth management. It was the first among all the political parties in UP which was off the block and had started working at the booth level. The party had appointed booth presidents and even panna incharge (in-charge of voters’ list) to ensure that people come out of vote. The committee submitted its report to the party leadership on Sunday.

“There is anger against the sitting MPs. People in majority want to bring BJP back to power and see Narendra Modi as the next prime Minister of the country. But the anger against the sitting MPs is a spoil sport. At public places people discuss the non-performance of the MP and this negative publicity at market places is hitting the party,” the leader said and added that had the party leadership stuck to its original decision to change 40% of the sitting candidates reports would have been different.

The BJP has announced candidates for all the 80 seats and has changed just 17 of them which is close to 20%. One of the candidates Savitri Bai Phule was changed from Bahraich because she joined Congress after reposing faith on Rahul Gandhi’s policies.

The only saving grace for the party is around 60% polling in the both the phases. There was a fear that polling percentage will go down because of the apathy of voters. But this did not happen. In first phase there was dip of around 2% in in polling while in second phase it increased by less than 1%. BJP leaders say it is the new voter who has come out of their houses and voted in favour of BJP.

“Take the case of Jats. The older generation voted for alliance but the young generation voted for BJP,” he said.

Despite all these permutation and combination the BJP does not feel confident before going to third phase because the election will be in Yadav land where BJP is already in dire strait.