UP Elections: Yogi to return as Chief Minister as BJP leads over rivals

Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath will return as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh with the BJP taking a lead over rivals in India’s politically most vital state with bigger vote share than last time, as votes were counted on Thursday.

The BJP has shored up 44.6 per cent of the vote- a significant 5 per cent improvement over the 2017 elections. Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, trailing with roughly half the seats, gained over the last election but fell far short of the party’s expectations.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress were leading in five and four seats respectively. The Apna Dal (Sonelal) was leading in 11 seats and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in seven, according to latest trends.

Among those leading were Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur, Akhilesh Yadav from Karhal, his party’s Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar, and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu.

With 80 parliamentary seats, Uttar Pradesh holds the key to power at the GoI and could offer clues to the national mood before the 2024 general election.

A majority for the BJP would make it the first party to get a consecutive second term in more than three decades.

 

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