Road Map 2022 Will Be Amit Shah's Main Challenge As He Flags Off BJP's Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand Campaigns

Home Minister Amit Shah has opened the campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Assembly polls will be held in the two states in 2022.

The BJP is currently in power in the two states. It would like to retain power in Uttar Pradesh, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is leading the party's campaign, and in Uttarakhand, where it has faced several changes at the helm during 2021.

The BJP's road to retaining power is not without challenges in the two states.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is trying to make inroads once again, the Samajwadi Party is working to dismantle the Adityanath-led government, and the Bahujan Samaj Party is trying to make its way into the supporting communities once again.

In Uttarakhand, the Pushkar Singh Dhami government has witnessed the Congress trying to strengthen its position and the Aam Aadmi Party making inroads.

Shah's Lucknow visit is of importance to the BJP during the coming month. Discussions on internal surveys conducted by the BJP towards making decisions on ticket distribution for the polls, steps taken by the state government to improve the situation in each and every area of governance, and the contrasting situations in the state owing to better governance undertaken, took place in Lucknow.

Shah flagged off BJP's poll campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in Lucknow on 29 October (Friday).

The focus on the occasion was the work, welfare policies, and development in the state under the partnership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The state campaign will take the double-engine government's policies and work to the weaker sections of the society.

Shah mentioned the work done by the Adityanath-led government to improve the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, and the state government's work to decimate "gunda raj" and corruption for improving the lives of people.

Taking a dig at other parties, he reportedly said that the current state government in Uttar Pradesh works not for parivars (families), but for the betterment of the poor families.

Shah's focus on the BJP's definition of "family" seems extended to people in its messaging to voters.

Shah will begin the BJP's campaign in Uttarakhand on 30 October. He will be holding meetings at different levels to examine the preparations for the polls and the BJP's campaign.

This will be Shah's second visit this month. He was in Uttarakhand when the hill state witnessed floods in different areas due to heavy rainfall.

Shah conducted an aerial survey in the affected regions in Uttarakhand and assured Chief Minister Dhami about the support that will come from the Centre to Uttarakhand.

His visit to the hill state is taking place during the week when senior Congress leader Harish Rawat and senior leader Yashpal Arya and his son Sanjeev Arya are in the news for strengthening Congress.

The main challenge before Shah would be to prepare a road map in the two states, where the BJP will be reaching out to voters on the core issue of its work and the positive changes the two state governments have brought with their work.