As the poll battle in Uttar Pradesh shifts towards the eastern parts of the state, election issues as well as poll strategies are being redrawn. While Samajwadi Party may look to consolidate its apparent lead, BJP is trying to make up for losses in earlier phases of the elections and make a comeback.On February 27, 61 more seats out of the total of 403 spread over 12 districts will go to the polls. These constituencies are located in the districts of Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Bahraich, Gonda, Pratapgarh, Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Shravasti, Kaushambi, Chitrakoot, and one seat from Rae Bareli.A total of 693 candidates are in fray for the fifth round. Of these, 90 are women.Prominent candidates for this round include Aradhna Mishra of Congress in Rampur Khas (Pratapgarh), Mayankeshwa Singh of BJP in Tiloi (Amethi), Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya in Sirathu (Kaushambi), Pallavi Patel of Apna Dal (K) in Sirathu (Kaushambi), Raghuraj Pratap Singh of Jansatta Dal Loktantrik in Kunda (Pratapgarh), Krishna Patel of Apna Dal (K) in Pratapgarh Sadar, Pawan Pandey of Samajwadi Party in Ayodhya Sadar, cabinet minister in UP government Siddharthnath Singh from Allahabad west, Ramapati Shastri in Mankapur (Gonda) and Yasir Shah of Samajwadi Party from Bahraich Sadar.In the 2017 elections, BJP had won 47 out of these 61 seats, while its ally Apna Dal was victorious on three seats. Samajwadi Party had won 5, Bahujan Samaj Party 3, while the Congress could win only one seat. Rest of the two seats had gone to the independent candidates.This time, the BJP is facing a huge incumbency, so it may not be an easy task for it to retain the fifty seats (47+3 of Apna Dal Sonelal)The challenge for the BJP is not only to win the 50 seats but many more in the coming phases if the party is to remain in contention for power in the state. Pollsters are suggesting that the BJP may need around 150 of the remaining 172 seats to retain power in the country’s most populous state.It isn’t impossible, but it does seem improbable in the present scenario. The way opposition parties have pitched local issues against the politico-religious rhetoric of BJP, the going is anything but smooth for the ruling party.Though most pollsters are still placing BJP ahead in a neck-to-neck bipolar fight, its leaders have started accepting their shortcomings in off-the-record talks. Many of them are still confident of the party forming the government, believing in the capabilities of their top leadership and the strong war chest, but the opposition has a different story to tell.The BJP is also banking on sentimental issues like the Ram temple in Ayodhya, jailing prominent Muslim politicians, the image of Yogi-Modi duo and the encounters undertaken by the UP police during the last five years.The Samajwadi Party and the Congress are, meanwhile, cornering the ruling party for mismanagement of the pandemic, widespread unemployment, menace of stray animals, farm distress, failing businesses, economic misadventures and all round failure in managing the huge state.Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, in his poll speeches, doesn’t forget to make a point that CM Yogi Adityanath cannot operate a laptop or smart phone.Congress leaders are alleging that the ruling BJP has no solution to the basic problems of the people. These remain the ‘out of syllabus’ questions for the BJP.The BJP thus has a formidable task to retain most of the seats in the region it claims as its home bastion. This is the last chance for it to revive its fortunes in the seven round battle. If it fails to make headway, the target will surely read impossible instead of ‘still possible’ in round six and seven for the ruling party.
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