LUCKNOW: BJP’s defeat in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan assembly elections at the hands of Congress brings the spotlight back on the politically crucial state of UP which contributed 73 MPs to the saffron party’s majority tally in 2014 Lok Sabha elections and makes the prospects of it repeating the same performance in 2019 appear even more difficult. The defeat impacts the party in UP since its key leaders, including CM Yogi Adityanath and his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, campaigned in poll-bound states. Besides, cabinet ministers Swatantradeo Singh and Mahendra Singh were also sent to MP and Rajasthan to oversee party’s preparations. The defeat impacts the leaders since their campaigning could not help the party reap electoral dividends.The party was back to the drawing board to thrash out strategy and is lining up rallies of PM Narendra Modi and chief Amit Shah in UP in coming days. Modi is scheduled to visit Rae Bareli, the parliamentary constituency of Congress leader and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, on December 16.The PM is also scheduled to visit Allahabad, which was recently renamed Prayagraj, besides visiting Ghazipur to unveil a postage stamp of Suheldev, a legendary king from Most Backward Caste community, who is believed to have defeated and killed Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud at Bahraich in the 11th century.The move, political experts say, is aimed at arresting the resentment among MBCs, fanned by repeated barbs of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar.Besides, speculations are rife that BJP may effect a cabinet expansion to accommodate MBC and Dalit faces as it gears up to face a united opposition in 2019. The defeat could also impact ticket distribution now as BJP was planning to field some strong sitting MLAs. The party leadership is taking feedback about MPs from people in its ongoing ‘Kamal Sandesh’ pad yatra even as it is organising caste-based conventions and felicitating leaders from sub-castes within Dalits and MBCs.“Besides telling people about achievements of Modi and Yogi governments, we are taking feedback on MPs,” said a state BJP general secretary. Party sources said that some senior UP ministers have been sounded about being fielded in Lok Sabha polls.Though BJP leaders said that results of assembly elections in five states would not impact its prospects in Lok Sabha elections, political experts said that Congress’ resurrection and a tie-up between SP and BSP could impact the ruling party. UP BJP spokesperson, Chandra Mohan, however, allayed such apprehensions. “The dynamics and scenario changes completely when it comes to parliamentary elections,” he said.

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