Uttar Pradesh Civic Polls: The politics of triumph, comeback and decimation

While BJP managed a triumphant win and BSP made a surprise comeback, SP and Congress have suffered massive blows once again after their shoddy show in assembly elections earlier in the year.

New Delhi: For those who were predicting that the results of the Uttar Pradesh Civic Polls would reflect the political mood of the entire country, there are many takeaways from the outcome announced on Friday. Definitive results for each major party - one way or the other - shows a clear pattern of either complete domination, surprise resurgence or absolute decimation.

Bhartiya Janata Party

After sweeping Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and registering a comprehensive performance in the 2017 assembly elections here, the BJP once again showed why the state is its citadel. Winning 14 of 16 municipal corporations (Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Agra, Firozabad, Ayodhya, Mathura, Lucknow, Kanpur, Saharanpur, Jhansi, Bareilly and Moradabad) has once again shown that the voters here continue to back the party.

Of the 198 Nagar Palika Parishad chairman posts, the BJP won 47 seats. Of the 5,261 Nagar Palika member seats, BJP won 624. In the polls for the 438 Nagara Panchayat chairman, the ruling BJP won 81 seats.

PM Narendra Modi said that the outcome of the civic polls was evidence that people believe in the developmental work undertaken by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Even Adityanath said that the outcome should be an eye-opener for rivals.

Uttar Pradesh: Celebration outside BJP office in #Lucknow following #UPCivicPolls2017 results pic.twitter.com/Nn1tUjMESw — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 1, 2017

Many felt that the confusion prevalent in the country over the Goods and Service Tax would have an impact on the outcome of the civic polls. The polls were considered to be a litmus test of sorts. But BJP managed to not just keep a firm hold over UP's urban centres but also dealt a massive blow to rivals like Samajwadi Party and Congress. "Those who are talking about Gujarat could not even open account in Amethi,” said Adityanath on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who is a three-time MP from Amethi.

निकाय चुनाव में मिली जीत के अवसर पर मुख्‍यमंत्री श्री @MYogiAdityanath, भाजपा प्रदेश अध्‍यक्ष @DrMNPandeyMP, #DYCM श्री @kpmaurya1 व @drdineshbjp ने पार्टी मुख्‍यालय पर एक दूसरे को मिठाई खिलाकर खुशी का इजहार किया।#VikasKiJeet pic.twitter.com/230IzGrWTa — BJP Uttar Pradesh (@BJP4UP) December 1, 2017

Adityanath, who undertook a whirlwind tour of the state to ensure the victory of his party's candidates, also credited the win to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and BJP chief Amit Shah's able guidance.

Bahujan Samaj Party

After humiliating results in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and in the 2017 assembly elections, there was finally some cheer for Mayawati. The former UP CM's party managed to win two mayoral seats - Meerut and Aligarh. For a party that failed to make any mark in the Lok Sabha elections, the results of the civic polls is more than just a consolation - it is a show of intent that it may be the only party now with an iota of stomach to keep a check on BJP's clout in the state. 

Samajwadi Party

The proverbial sky continues to be a dark shade of grey for SP. And no silver lining seems to be in sight. The party failed to win in any of the 16 municipal corporations and questions already being asked of Akhilesh Yadav after the state election results may now quadruple.

The party itself though is choosing to blame Electronic Voting Machines. "It was disheartening to note that the BJP gained on places where EVMs were used," said SP leader and MLC Rajpal Kashyap. He added that the party is closely analysing the results.

Congress

The outcome of the civic polls may well be as big a blow for Congress as it is decisive for BJP. The party has been reduced to being a non-entity in the state where it has been out of power for three decades now.  Even though Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi are Lok Sabha MPs from the state, the party has failed to win a significant number of wards in the Nagar Panchayats and Nagar Palikas. Many in the party had predicted that the civic polls' results would have a bearing on Gujarat elections. Now, the party as a whole would be hoping for the exact opposite.