News Brief
UP BJP chief, Bhupendra Chaudhary
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reportedly submitted a 15-page report to the central leadership listing reasons for the losses in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The party could win only 33 of the 80 seats, down from 62 in 2019, while its main rival Samajwadi Party (SP) won 37 seats, up from five in 2019. Moreover, its vote share fell by 8 per cent.
Subsequently, the party has been looking for reasons for losses for over a month. After taking feedback from around 40,000 people, the report lists six reasons as follows:
1. Paper leaks: UP witnessed at least 15 paper leaks in the last three years, displeasing the youth, which are considered to have drifted away from the party.
3. High-handedness of administration: It is alleged that instead of considering public issues, administrative officers took a high-headed approach, harassing the general public, while implementing laws.
4. Discontent among BJP workers: The party workers were also seen as less enthusiastic during the election campaign as they were not allowed to work freely due to the high-handedness of administration.
5. Opposition narratives on ending reservation and changing the constitution also harmed the BJP's prospects as per the report.
6. Changing caste equations: The report says that while the BJP has been getting the support of Other Backward Classes (OBC) for some time, the Kurmi and Maurya voters drifted away from the party this time.