Saffron surge sweeps UP again, here's what BJP victory means under Yogi Adityanath

A big win in Uttar Pradesh would be a seal of approval for monk-politician Yogi Adityanath, who was surprisingly chosen as chief minister for the state five years ago and is seen as a future prime ministerial candidate for the BJP. 

NEW DELHI: Led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from the front and powered by the 'Modi wave', the ruling BJP has recreated history as it is all set to return to power for a second term in Uttar Pradesh as the saffron party is heading towards a landslide victory. The BJP has also shored up 44.6 per cent of the vote - a significant 5 per cent improvement over the 2017 elections.

While CM Yogi was confident of BJP winning 300 plus seats from the beginning of the high-stakes election, the opposition’s desperate attempt to latch onto the farmers' protest - highlighting the anger among the Jats and farmers in the western belt —failed miserably too.

Even as the counting of votes continues in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is on its course to retain power in the politically crucial state with Yogi Adityanath set to become chief minister for a second straight term — breaking a 37-year-old record in the state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has himself won from the Gorakhpur seat by over one lakh votes. 

Trends coming from Uttar Pradesh indicate that the BJP is leading on 263 seats while the SP-RLD alliance was a distant second, leading on 135 seats. On the other hand, the BSP and the Congress struggled to touch the double-digit mark. These keenly contested assembly elections were seen as a big litmus test for the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government which, people believed was battling the anti-incumbency factor along with a reinvigorated Samajwadi Party after it stitched a formidable alliance with smaller parties, including the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

Exit poll predictions come true for BJP