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The Times of India
The Times of India
National
Pankaj Shah | TNN

With bypoll win, BJP poised for clean sweep in 2024 Lok Sabha polls: UP CM Yogi Adityanath

LUCKNOW: Describing the victory in Azamgarh and Rampur bypolls as people’s unwavering confidence in the “double engine” government of the BJP and its leadership, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday affirmed that the election results were indicative of the “far-reaching message” for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“The victory on the two seats has blown away destructive forces which were driven by nepotism, and criminal and communal agenda. This was the election for optimistic thinking of BJP and for all round development of the state,” Yogi said, while speaking to reporters at the UP BJP headquarters in Lucknow.

The CM reached the party office amid rolling of drums even as enthusiastic party workers danced and exchanged sweets.

Yogi said that the victory on “challenging” seats (like Azamgarh and Rampur) has positioned the BJP to win all 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2024. His observation was seen as a BJP’s domineering political disposition after its historical return to power in the recently concluded UP assembly polls, besides bagging most of the seats in the Rajya Sabha and legislative council elections.

Yogi said that the win on the two seats has established BJP’s idea and policy of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”, besides being people’s stamp on state government efforts to wheel out public welfare schemes without any discrimination in terms of caste and religion.

“This bolsters our resolve to make UP more prosperous as per the aspiration of PM Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders, including home minister Amit Shah and party national president JP Nadda,” he said.

Thanking the people of Azamgarh and Rampur, the CM assured them that the BJP’s victorious candidates would work for the development of their respective constituencies.

Azamgarh and Rampur parliamentary seats were crucial for the BJP as these were vacated by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and senior SP leader Azam Khan. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won other key SP bastions like Kannauj, Etawah and Badaun.

The victory was also crucial days after a raging row erupted over remarks on Prophet Mohammad by two BJP leaders.

The SP intended to consolidate the Muslim – as it attempted in 2022 assembly polls – to pull the rug under the BJP’s feet. SP’s ambitions, however, got thwarted as BSP fielded a local Muslim leader, Guddu Jamali, who cut into SP’s Muslim votebank.

Political analysts said that the BJP’s win in Rampur was catalyzed by consolidated support of OBC and Dalits after BSP decided not to contest from the seat.

The BJP had pumped in its organizational machinery, including MPs, MLAs and a battery of ministers, in both the constituencies.

BJP’s team was led by agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi and parliamentary affairs minister Suesh Khanna in Azamgarh and Rampur, respectively.

Yogi, who himself campaigned in both the seats, lauded BJP workers who worked at the booth level to ensure the victory of party candidates in both the seats.

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