How Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati's mistakes helped Modi win UP polls

ELECTION NEWS - There is more to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mind-boggling sweep in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections than can be explained by factors like his persona, Modi’s aggressive, high profile campaign in the state, the caste configuration of the state or for that matter, the communal turn of his campaign.

Perhaps, the win is also a consequence of the sustained attacks that the Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi duo and BSP supremo Mayawati launched against some of Modi’s policies.

Gandhi’s outburst against the army’s surgical strikes on terror camps along the Line of Control – which he termed as “khoon ki dalaali” – went against the nationalist sentiments of even those who do not subscribe to the saffron ideology. In one stroke, Gandhi lost much of the steam he’d generated through his aggressive efforts to rejuvenate the Congress in UP.

However, it was Gandhi, Yadav and Mayawati’s tirade against demonetisation that served as an even bigger boon for Modi.

Without making any effort to see the ground reality, these leaders went on a Modi bashing spree – that evidently proved counter-productive and paid Modi dividends that surprised him as much as those who voted for him.(READ MORE)

2017 polls: 'Modi wave' is alive and kicking

UP ELECTION RESULT 2017 - With gruelling elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, now over, the popular discourse has now shifted to predicting the poll results, which anyhow would be out in the open tomorrow.

While most exit polls have accorded the edge in poll outcome to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), barring Punjab, the results nonetheless would be analysed in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP’s biggest mass leader to date, Modi had crisscrossed the poll-bound states of UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, over the last two months to consolidate the party’s core votes. However, he had invested maximum energies in the crucial state of UP, which returns 403 legislators to the state assembly.

Although Modi was not a candidate himself, the polls were largely played on the theme of ‘Modi versus all’ in all these states, especially UP.

In the backdrop of demonetisation, the polls are being seen as virtual referendum on Modi’s three-year rule at the Centre and the impact of the demonetisation decision.

BJP has swept all the local bodies polls held across the states after demonetisation, which implied that the majority of people had stood up for the purported anti-corruption move and that the perception of Modi’s personal integrity was uncompromised.(READ MORE)

Mayawati chides 'babua' Akhilesh for 'childish talk' on jumbo statues

UP ELECTION RESULT 2017 - BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday took a swipe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for his continued attack on the elephant statues set up by her government, saying he was indulging in "childish talk".

"Just as Mulayam Singh Yadav (a former defence minister) speaks of China at any given opportunity, his 'babua' (child), Akhilesh, has nothing to tell people except for patharwali sarkar," Mayawati told a press conference here.

"Everyone knows that the stone statue of elephant will remain in the same position...This is why I call him babua, as only a babua can say something like this. He is indulging in childish talk," Mayawati asserted.

"Even a small kid will be able to tell this. He (Akhilesh) is the father of kids and yet talking like this," she said.

Mayawati said people wanted to question the SP government on issues of "mafiaraj, gundaraj, jungleraj and anarchy" but instead he wanted to indulge in politics of stone.

She, however, thanked the "babua" for talking about the elephants as he was giving free publicity to her party's election symbol.

Mayawati also raked up SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's invite to Modi and other BJP leaders to attend a family wedding function in Saifai, and alleged that SP and BJP had a tacit understanding.(READ MORE)

Assembly Elections 2017 LIVE: SP-Cong, BSP, AAP Reject Exit Poll Verdict

Exit Polls 2017: Advantage BJP in UP but Modi may fall short of majority

UP ELECTION RESULT 2017 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party is well ahead of rivals in an election in the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, but may fall short of an absolute majority, four major exit polls showed on Thursday.

Victory for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh, which is home to 220 million people, would boost his chances of winning the 2019 general election and underscore his popularity after he made himself the face of the party's campaign.

The prime minister would also see success as vindication of his sudden decision in November to abolish high-denomination banknotes to rein in corruption.


The move was seen as politically risky, because most transactions in India are carried out in cash and millions of Indians were forced to join long queues outside banks to deposit their old bills or get hold of new ones.

Indian elections are notoriously hard to call, and polls taken before and after voting are often wrong. Pollsters were left red-faced in 2015 after mistakenly predicting a BJP win in the state of Bihar.

Results in Uttar Pradesh, as well as four other state ballots, will be announced on Saturday.(READ MORE)

Exit Polls 2017 LIVE: Market Sees UP Results As Litmus Test For BJP

Exit polls predict BJP win in UP, but Dalal St euphoria to fade away soon

UP ELECTION 2017 RESULT - Exit polls have predicted a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the key state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) that is being dubbed as the semi–final to the 2019 general elections, and appeared to be too close to call.

Over the past few sessions, the markets have been moving sideways, consolidating the 9% gain made thus far in calendar year 2017. Analysts say the outcome could create distractions (or positives) for the government and will be interpreted as a referendum on the government’s demonetisation drive.

Here is a quick compilation of what the leading market experts think about the possible outcome and its implication for the economy and markets:

G. CHOKKALINGAM, FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF EQUINOMICS RESEARCH & ADVISORY

The exit polls have predicted significant improvement for the ruling party at the Centre. If this prediction becomes true, it could be sentimentally positive for the equity markets for a week or so. However, in our view, fundamentally speaking, whether the ruling party wins or loses, it doesn’t have significant relevance for the markets.(READ MORE)

Exit Polls 2017 LIVE: Sensex Sees UP Results As Litmus Test For BJP

Assembly polls 2017: 12 reasons why fight in UP is between the BSP and BJP

UP ELECTION RESULT 2017 - Now that all the phases are of the Uttar Pradesh elections are over, the time has come for predictions. Several senior journalists, in my opinion, misused their influence by calling the election before the final phase of voting.

The observations I present here are based on travels in the state, evolving trends over the past three years (particularly in west UP) and conversations with a wide range of people (in person and over the phone). Let me start by presenting five reasons why UP is most probably headed towards a hung assembly.

This was not a ‘wave’ election. In the initial phases, the media tried to project an Akhilesh Yadav wave, in the latter phases, a Narendra Modi wave. But there was no ‘wave’ on the ground. Truth is, this was a seat to seat election and individual candidates, localised caste arithmetic and issues will determine the result.

National issues like demonetisation will have an indirect impact. While not many may have voted directly on that issue, for castes like Jats and sections of non-Jatav Dalits who may have voted the BJP in 2014 and were already drifting away from the party for various reasons, demonetisation was the final nail in the coffin, leading to them snapping their ties or loyalty for the party. One is very uncertain about Banias, though. Many Banias, who are among the most loyal BJP voters, were very upset with demonetisation. However, whether that has resulted in voting elsewhere and to what extent is unclear. The community has been very silent this time. And in many parts, they didn’t even openly campaign for the BJP.(READ MORE)

Exit Polls 2017 LIVE: Advantage BJP In UP, Akhilesh-Rahul Fail To Impress

War rooms and UP polls 2017: Akhilesh Yadav takes on Modi at his own game

UP Polls 2017 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi out-campaigned all-comers in the 2014 general election but, as he faces his biggest mid-term test, he is up against a rival determined to beat him at his own game.

In Uttar Pradesh his opponent, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, has been repackaged as a youthful and media-savvy go-getter who seeks to steal a unique selling point of Modi's - development.

"I am taking it a bit beyond Modi: I work," Yadav told Reuters in an interview in Lucknow, capital of the state of 220 million that is holding the biggest democratic election anywhere in the world this year.

"My work speaks for itself. Modi's empty promises do not," said the 43-year-old leader of the Samajwadi, or Socialist, Party.

Yadav entered the vast election, being held over the course of a month, as a narrow favourite: He had just emerged from a power struggle with his domineering father and struck a pre-poll alliance with the Indian National Congress.(Read More)

UP polls 2017: SP-Cong alliance pins hope on note ban anger to fight BJP

Campaigning comes to an end for the third phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2017 today evening. As many as 69 seats across central UP’s Lucknow, Kanpur, Sitapur, Mainpuri, Etawah and adjoining districts will vote on Sunday. Samajwadi Party and Congress workers in the region are nervous. They fear a Hindu consolidation for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP believes the third phase will mark a revival of the party after a tepid response in the first two phases.

In the cities and towns of central UP, there is a positive buzz for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav but the alliance’s hopes rest more on the mistakes of its rival. The alliance has tried to tap into the anger on the street for Narendra Modi government’s note ban decision, the perceived non-performance of BJP’s Lok Sabha members of Parliament and the infighting in that party’s ranks because of faulty ticket distribution.

But the cadres are also discovering a groundswell of support from the upper castes who wish deliverance from the “Ahir-Muslim” rule of the last five years. The BJP is sure that the patchwork of caste coalition of upper castes and non-Yadav OBCs would help it win majority of the seats in the region.

1. Hindu consolidation

2. Note ban

3. Non-performance of BJP MPs, poor candidate selection

4. Chinks in SP-Congress alliance

5. Anti-incumbency and law and order

6. Split in Muslim votes

Read More

Brand Akhilesh Yadav and the American style of campaigning

UP Elections 2017 - The 2014 general elections represent a watershed in the Indian electoral history in many ways. For one, it changed forever how campaigns are conducted in the country. The Lok Sabha poll campaign saw the then Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, creating a parallel campaign machinery outside of the party to take his word to the people. His campaign to become the Prime Minister had, in fact, kicked off even before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named him its Prime Ministerial candidate.

Citizens for Accountable Governance (led by political strategist Prashant Kishor) helped Modi run a political campaign that could have given any MNC giant a run for its money. Through his 360-degree campaign, Modi reached out to disparate voters using their own communication mediums. What made it stand out was the campaign’s focus on modern technology – social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp were used extensively and effectively to create a cult following for Modi and turn the election into an almost Presidential campaign. The result: Narendra Modi seemed to be the only candidate around.

Lessons from this campaign have been learnt by other political parties as well – some more than the others. Later, similar ways were used in Delhi by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and in Bihar by Nitish Kumar, who built an unlikely alliance with his long-time bête noire Lalu Prasad, took his own message of good governance to the people, and returned to power with a landslide victory.(Read More)

UP Assembly polls 2017: Akhilesh to address rallies in Sambhal, Amroha

Elections 2017 - Kick starting the campaigning for the second phase of Uttar Pradesh elections, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will on Sunday address two election rallies in Sambhal and Amroha.

With the second phase of the state elections just three days away, political parties are busy campaigning to gain majority.

Akhilesh and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday jointly launched the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance's Common Minimum Programme.


During the launch, Akhilesh attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that their alliance has shaken the latter's confidence.

Akhilesh further slammed the prime minister saying that he only knows to do 'Mann Ki Baat' but not 'Kaam ki baat'.
"Several times people say 'Mann ki baat' but not 'Kaam ki baat'," said Akhilesh.

The second phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections will be held on February 15.

The first phase of the elections, which was held on Saturday, saw a voter turnout of 63 per cent.(Read More)

Rahul Gandhi to hold four election rallies in Uttar Pradesh today

UP Elections 2017 - Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi will hold four election rallies in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, Bulandshahr, Hapur and Ghaziabad on Wednesday.

Speaking at a rally in Meerut, Gandhi yesterday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should know that the people in Uttar Pradesh are united and cannot be divided.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocks Uttarakhand tragedy, insults freedom struggle but has no answers to questions on demonetisation," Gandhi said.

He also charged the Prime Minister of spreading hate and anger among people.

The Prime Minister visited Meerut to spread hate and anger. A message should be sent from the youth of Uttar Pradesh that the state stands together and it cannot be broken. We will win in Uttar Pradesh and complete the promise which the Prime Minister cannot fulfil that employment could be generated from within Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party workers and Congress workers should stand together," he added.(Read More)

UP polls 2017: Dialogue, drama, desperation as action begins

UP Polls - The action has begun in Uttar Pradesh. Election strategists, central and state ministers, Chief Ministers from other states and the Prime Minister himself are criss-crossing the sprawling state as they hard-sell their parties to voters.

More than a dozen hired choppers are clattering from one rally to the next, carrying leaders of all hues, making stopovers in small towns and dusty hamlets, while thousands of two- and four-wheelers are on the move, ferrying candidates and supporters.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed two major rallies in Meerut and Aligarh in one week, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has addressed more than 10, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh has been mingling with the Jat community and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati is explaining why she needs to return to power.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav have jointly held road shows in Lucknow, Agra and Kanpur. Their next stop is Varanasi, which sent Modi to the Lok Sabha. Many state ministers are spending nights in far-flung villages, many without electricity.(Read More)

UP Elections: 'Hand' to ride with the 'cycle', says Ghulam Nabi Azad

Breaking news - A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav won the war for the Samajwadi Party’s poll symbol 'cycle', senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad confirmed that the two parties will fight the coming Uttar Pradesh polls in an alliance. 

"There will be Congress and SP alliance in upcoming UP elections," Azad, who is also the All India Congress Committee (AICC) member-in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, said on Tuesday. 

"The details related to the alliance will be decided in coming days, for now we can say there will be Congress-SP alliance under leadership of Akhilesh Yadav," Azad added. 

Meanwhile, Sahibabad MLA Amar Pal Sharma who was expelled from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) joined the Congress party on Tuesday. 

Akhilesh’s emergence as party boss could pave the way for an alliance of the SP, the Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in UP. The announcement of a pact might come in a day or two, sources said.

The seven-phase Assembly polls will be held in UP on February 11, 15, 19, 23, 27 and March 4 and 8.(Read More)