Will BJP Be Able To Sustain Its Surge In Uttar Pradesh: NDTV Battleground

Since 2014, the BJP has made Uttar Pradesh its own, sweeping the state that year and in 2019. The party has built a 50 per cent vote bank in the state, in which Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, had a big role to play.

The battle for Uttar Pradesh -- which sends the maximum number of members to the Lok Sabha -- could turn out to be an existential one for the Congress and Mayawati. For Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, it would be crucial since the politics in Uttar Pradesh is turning out to be bipolar one, where the regional party is playing the role of the main opposition. These were the conclusions of political experts participating this evening in NDTV's special show Battleground, hosted by Editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia.

Since 2014, the BJP has made Uttar Pradesh its own, sweeping the state not only that year but in every subsequent election -- Lok Sabha or assembly. The party has built a 50 per cent vote bank in the state, in which Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, had a big role to play. This depended on several factors – including the city's magnificent cosmopolitan background and the position it enjoys as the country's oldest and holiest pilgrim centre.

"In 2014, when the BJP was planning a strategy, they needed a great performance and they had to perform in UP to reach the majority mark," said Sandeep Shastri, the national coordinator of Lokniti Network.