UP Assembly Elections 2022: How BJP, SP & BSP fared in 2017 polls

New Delhi: The Election Commission is all set to be announced election dates for upcoming Assembly elections in 5 states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, and Manipur.

Uttar Pradesh, with the largest number of Assembly constituencies of 403 seats, is the most keenly watched and followed by political parties, observers & analysts.

The UP Assembly elections has drawn national attention as it is widely as the semi-final to Lok Sabha elections in 2014. With Yogi Adityanath looking for second term, the whole BJP machinery is going all out to win over the electorate.

A couple of recent poll surveys in recent times have predicted the return of Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government but Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party is also gaining momentum on the ground.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is steering the Congress ship in the biggest state this election but the ground report is not very welcoming of her, at least for now. Mayawati has been a potent force in UP elections but this time, she is largely restricted to few press conferences & rallies apparently due to ill health.

How BJP and SP stacked up in 2017 elections

In 2017 elections, BJP swept the Assembly elections with comfortable majority, riding on the Modi wave. The saffron party made a return to the Hindi heartland state after over 18 years and had won 312 seats with 39.67% vote share. The party garnered over 3.44 crore votes and its vote share had jumped by 24.7%, thus winning its absolute majority.

Akhilesh Yadav was routed and ousted from power. Samajwadi Party (SP) won just 47 seats and saw its poll percentage dipping by 7.7% than previous election. It received 1.89 crore votes & 21.82% vote share.

Mayawati-led BSP though managed to secure a moderate mandate but was badly vanquished in terms of number of seats. It garnered 1.92 votes and won 19 seats in 2017 Assembly elections.

Congress remained miserable and on the fringes, akin to its past performances. Despite being the national party, it garnered just 6.25% vote share, with about 54 lakh voting for the grand old party. The party couldn’t even touch double digits in number of seats.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), a party with strong base in Western Uttar Pradesh miserable failed in keeping its vote bank intact. It got a vote share of 1.78% and bagged just 1 seat with about 15 lakh voting for the party.

As the Election Commission announces poll dates for Uttar Pradesh today, the electioneering will again pick up pace and parties will go all out in winning over the electorate despite Corona outbreak.

For now, Yogi Adityanath is the frontrunner in the race for Chief Minister post but Akhilesh Yadav is also catching up fast in terms of popularity. Recent surveys have shown Yogi Adityanath as the best choice for CM post but the dipping gap between the two will be interesting to watch out for.