The outcome of elections from Uttar Pradesh was unprecedented. Was it the self-styled minority appeasement by the Akhilesh Yadav government, the Muzzafarnagar riots, Azam Khan’s remarks, or a blend of all the three that led to the consolidation in Hindu votes in Uttar Pradesh?
Over 42% of the votes go to BJP and that translated into 71 seats for the party – its partner Apna Dal got another two – wipe the floor with even the Ram Mandir wave.
While Hindus consolidated around the BJP, the votes of the 19% Muslims look as if it had been divided among the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress.
All the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in UP was bagged by BJP where Muslims represent more than 40% of the electorate – Saharanpur, Srawasti, Amroha, Bijnore, Muzzafarnagar, Moradabad and Rampur – and this indicates the extent of the counter polarization in Hindu votes.
Rampur is the homeland of Khan, SP’s most prominent Muslim leader and powerful minister, and an SP stronghold. But, BJP’s Dr Nepal Singh won even devoid of much campaigning.
“Khan’s polarising personality was a factor in these elections, especially his comments that it was Muslim soldiers who won the Kargill war. Even in days of competitive politics, leaders tend to avoid naming the Army and other such institutions on caste and religious lines,” said Prof Sudhir Panwar of Lucknow University.
Although he also mentioned the SP government’s policies like giving Rs 30,000 for the marriage of Muslim girls, according to Panwar, the Muzzafarnagar riots were another big factor that turned Hindus more towards the BJP. The BJP used the riots to build up support in corners of the state, he added.
The riots became one of the major issues, with the Akhilesh Yadav government in the state receiving stern criticism over its handling of the situation.
Without more ado after the riots, the government went all out to woo the Muslim community as part of its damage control exercise. While the west UP riots was confined to only a few districts, the statements over it led to a reaction across the state.
Moreover, it was not just the SP that focused on the Muslim votes. 19 tickets were given to Muslims by the BSP – the highest by any party – including to riot accused sitting MP from Muzzafarnagar Kadir Rana.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s meeting with Shahi Imam where she reportedly appealed for non-division of Muslim votes also likely led to isolating the electorate on religious lines, said Panwar.
“On one hand three major parties in UP were seen to be aggressively wooing only the minorities, and on the other you had the BJP, the lone one wooing the majority community” he added.