BJP’s Sakshi Maharaj Just a Trailer in UP, Climax Awaited

Balakot air strikes have created an atmosphere for BJP. But, surveys show it won’t repeat its 2014 performance.

In UP, the BJP has decided to not give election tickets to more than a dozen of its MPs and leaders.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

Somewhere among the issues of Ram Mandir, Rafale and unemployment, the game  completely changed after the Balakot air strikes.

The BJP is elated with this change because it feels that it is in their favour. They are convinced that the PM Modi-Amit Shah duo will do wonders this time too, especially in Uttar Pradesh.

If sources are to be believed, the BJP has decided to not give election tickets to more than a dozen of its MPs and leaders.

BJP leaders have started protesting against the party just as they got an inkling that their candidacy might be in danger.

According to the sources, those who might not get the ticket are:

• Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj
• Anshul Varma from Hardoi
• Sarvesh Singh from Moradabad
• Krishna Raj from Shahjahanpur
• Ajay Misra Teni from Kheri
• Rekha Varma from Dhaurahra
• Satyapal Singh from Baghpath
• Kalraj Mishra from Deoria
• Rajendra Aggarwal from Meerut
• Shyama Charan Gupta from Prayagraj
• Ashok Kumar Dohrey from Etawah
• Yashwant Singh from Nagina
• Raghav Lakhanpal from Saharanpur

These candidates might not make the cut to contest the 2019 general election.

Apart from them, Hari Narayan Rajbhar from Ghosi, Chote Lal Kharwar from Sonbhadra, Bharat Singh from Ballia, Ram Charitra Nishad from Machhali Shahar, Krishna Pratap Singh from Jaunpur could also face the same fate.

If you think about it, after the 2014 general elections, even veteran leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi and Lal Krishna Advani didn’t get a say in the matters of the party. Then, how much can other leaders speak up? Still, if some leaders have decided to speak up, there are two main reasons for this: either they can take on the top leadership, or, the top leadership is on a slide.

On paper, the BJP is a democratic party. But everyone knows that after 2014, if there’s anyone who has a say in the party – it is PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Technically, the number two in the government, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, was also not seen playing any important role in taking important decisions during this period.

There was only one big decision taken when he was party president in 2013, and, he upset senior leaders such as Advani and supported Modi as the PM candidate. After that, without Modi’s directions, nothing happens in the government and without that of Amit Shah, nothing happens in the party.

TV Surveys Have Given BJP Leaders the Power to Rebel

In such a situation, the MPs are rebelling. So, there must be some base. What has happened is that the Balakot air strikes have created an atmosphere for the BJP. However, on the other hand, surveys also reveal that the NDA and BJP’s performance won’t be the same as 2014.

If we take the survey as a base, then it won’t be easy for the BJP to form the government. This report has given the MPs the power to speak their minds, which can be termed as rebellion.

2 Dozen MPs Face the Heat In the Internal Survey

The BJP’s target is 74 seats in UP, for which they are tweaking their candidacy.

The BJP can slash the tickets of more than a dozen of its MPs. They are the same MPs who have proven to be ‘inefficient’ in BJP's internal surveys.

Their report cards have not met the party's expectations.

MPs Rebel Over the Issue of Ticket Cutting

The BJP’s victory streak, which started in 2014, continued all the way through to 2017, where they performed well in the state elections, as well as in the general elections, except in Delhi and Bihar. PM Modi and Amit Shah’s strong game has made the BJP the party which has formed the highest number of state governments in the country. Those opposing inside and outside the party were silenced.

The vanity of victory brought forth several tough decisions, one of which was that a leader above the age of 75 can neither contest elections nor hold an important post. Although it has been withdrawn, but back then, the decision had impacted Kalraj Misra, who had to quit his ministerial position and didn’t even utter a word.

But the situation seems to have changed now. It is possible that the BJP wants to show its strength to the voters. But it is weakening the party from the inside, whose prime example is Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj.

He wrote to the party that if his ticket is snatched, the BJP will lose by 5 lakh votes.

As the LS poll dates draw closer, the BJP rebels will become more vocal. People are saying that this time, the BJP won’t just be up against SP-BSP or the Congress, but also the BJP rebels who stand in their path.

(This article was originally published on The Quint Hindi.)