Behind saffron slide in UP, an indifferent RSS, a sidelined CM

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, June 5

“Na Mathura, na Kashi, hame chahiye Awadhesh Pasi,” is the slogan a BJP insider cited on Wednesday when asked to dissect the party’s stunning loss in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat which houses the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Coined by supporters of Samajwadi Party’s Faizabad candidate Awadhesh Prasad, a Pasi Dalit, who defeated BJP’s two-term MP from the segment Lallu Singh, a Thakur, on Tuesday, the slogan summed up the mood in the area and across the state.

With the BJP losing heavily in the UP Lok Sabha poll — down from 62 MPs in 2019 to 33 now — state leaders today said anti-incumbency against most sitting MPs was a writing on the wall which no one was willing to read.

Faizabad MP Lallu Singh who lost to Awadhesh, the joint SP-Congress nominee, by 54,567 votes was one among many. Sources said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had recommended replacement of some candidates, but it was not considered.

“Also there was a feeling that Yogi was being sidelined in ticket distribution. Of the 62 sitting party MPs, 55 were re-nominated despite state leaders flagging massive anti-incumbency sentiment against many of them,” sources privy to BJP strategy said.

The Tribune has also learnt of murmurs in the RSS, BJP’s ideological mentor organisation, about what some see as “attempts to sideline the popular CM in the state”.

“Questions are being raised in the RSS about attempted sidelining of Yogi in the state. People are discussing this,” a source said. Another source questioned lack of denial by the BJP of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s remark that Yogi would be replaced as the CM if the BJP returned to power.

“Kejriwal made two statements when he came out of jail — PM Modi will retire and hand over the government reins to Union Home Minister Amit Shah once he turns 75 and Yogi will be replaced as the CM. The first was denied, the second was not,” said a saffron insider, poring over UP losses, where, he said, the RSS was indifferent though not completely withdrawn when it came to election mobilisation.

The UP BJP strategy was directly being overseen by Shah with inputs from other leaders, including national general secretary Sunil Bansal, who has deep roots in the state having handled it in the past. Taking Faizabad loss as the test case, the sources said the SC-OBC-Muslim consolidation behind the SP-Congress combine trumped Ram Mandir push in UP.

Awadhesh, SP’s founder-member and former minister, addressed rallies with portraits of BR Ambedkar in tow and hammered allegations that the BJP was seeking 400 seats to change the Constitution.

“Lallu Singh was among BJP candidates who said 400 seats were needed to change the Constitution. This narrative went home,” said Arvind Kumar, a Faizabad local.

Awadhesh, a Dalit, defeated Singh and emerged the only SC candidate in UP to win from a non-reserved seat.

And all this happened despite the Ram Mandir momentum and PM Narendra Modi’s May 6 roadshow in Ayodhya. “Dharam ki ek hi kaat hai…jaati,” said another local Satyendra Singh explaining Awadhesh’s win at a time when Lallu Singh’s principal slogan was “Jo Ram ko laye hain…unhe hum layenge.”

Miscalculations in UP majorly halted BJP’s march to simple majority in the 18th Lok Sabha.

BJP lost pitch to SP’s dalit nominee even in slogan war

In the Ram Mandir segment of Faizabad, the slogan “Na Mathura, na Kashi… hame chahiye Awadhesh Pasi” in favour of Samajwadi Party’s Dalit candidate resonated more than BJP’s “Jo Ram ko laaye hain, unhe hum layenge” pitch