In the recent election, Akhilesh Yadav’s party in Uttar Pradesh, after securing five seats in collaboration with the BSP, has significantly impacted the BJP. The BJP, which independently won 62 seats in 2019, has faced a major setback due to this outcome.
According to the Election Commission’s data for the polls in the 80 parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party and Congress from the INDIA bloc are currently ahead in 34 and 7 Lok Sabha seats, respectively. On the other hand, the NDA led by the BJP is leading in 35 seats.
The BJP was ahead in 35 seats, with its allies Rashtriya Lok Dal and Apna Dal leading in one seat each. Chandrashekhar from the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) was in the lead with a margin of 1,09,799 votes over Om Kumar from the BJP.
Some of the notable leaders who have secured significant leads over their opponents include Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav in Kannauj and Mainpuri, and Congress candidates Rahul Gandhi and Kishori Lal Sharma in Rae Bareli and Amethi.
Mr. Yadav spearheaded the opposition’s campaign in the crucial political state, forming a strong alliance with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and Arvind Kejriwal’s party.
This election marked the first general election following the passing of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akhilesh performed exceptionally well, surpassing the number of seats won in the 2004 election.
The opposition’s resurgence occurred despite Mr. Yadav and Rahul Gandhi being mocked as the “Do ladko ki jodi” by Mr. Modi.
In the election battle for the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat, Mr. Yadav actively campaigned for his wife Dimple Yadav and three cousins who are also contesting.
During the campaign, Mr. Yadav compelled the BJP to adjust its narrative, even putting them on the defensive when he responded to their accusation of nepotism by stating that those without a family had no right to criticize others.
This response led the entire BJP leadership, as well as grassroots supporters, to add “Modi ka Parivaar” to their social media profiles.
The SP allocated 18 seats to Congress, one to TMC, and fielded its own candidates in the remaining 80 constituencies.
