PM Modi sounds poll bugle in crucial Western UP region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the BJP’s campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Meerut city in Western Uttar Pradesh on March 31st. The rally is considered an important opportunity for the party to set the tone in a politically significant region.
BJP has fielded Ramayan actor Arun Govil from Meerut parliamentary seat, hoping to appeal to devotion and nostalgia. Western UP comprising 77 assembly seats is seen as crucial, contributing to a sizable number of Lok Sabha seats. BJP managed 24 seats here in 2014 but faced some losses last time, winning only 19 of 27.
Evolving political dynamics in the state have meant new alliances are forming. While BJP remains confident of its current coalition partners, rivals like Samajwadi Party under Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati’s BSP are also recalibrating strategies. In Meerut itself, the margin of victory last time was a narrow 5,000 votes.
The polls are scheduled in seven phases starting April 19th, with UP voting in all phases till June 1st. In 2014, BJP swept UP winning 71 out of 80 seats. But a unified opposition alliance dented this to only 62 seats last time.
With over 6 months to go before polling starts, Meerut will see PM Modi outline BJP’s pitch to regain momentum in this bellwether state. All eyes will be on how competitive the campaigns get as major players deploy their strengths on the ground.
