UP Elections 2022: BJP crosses 150 seat mark in early trends

BJP is way ahead of their major rival Samajwadi party in Uttar Pradesh Elections 2022.

Early indications show that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has crossed the 150-seat mark in Uttar Pradesh and is on its way to a majority. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is ahead of the Samajwadi Party-led coalition.

Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, leads in Gorakhpur, while Akhilesh Yadav leads in Karhal. BJP is also leading in Hathras, Lakhimpur, Meerut, Mathura, Ayodhya and Varanasi.

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The stakes are biggest in Uttar Pradesh, which holds the key to power at the Centre thanks to its 80 parliamentary seats and 403 Vidhan Sabha seats. If the BJP wins a majority in the 403-member assembly, it would become the first party in almost three decades to win a second term in a row.

Despite the government’s “much-criticized” handling of the coronavirus, high unemployment, and discontent over agriculture reforms that PM Modi scrapped last year following demonstrations, opinion surveys forecast a solid majority for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh is home to nearly a fifth of India’s population of 1.35 billion people and sends the most lawmakers to the national legislature of any state. It has long been stated that no party or alliance can achieve a majority in parliament unless it wins Uttar Pradesh and the neighbouring state of Bihar. In both, the BJP has been in power.