There is trouble in BJP’s heaven. After almost two decades, the emergence of the Congress is posing a tough challenge to the BJP in Lucknow, Lucknow that had remained captive to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s charm all these years.
The BJP has been continuously winning the four urban seats in Lucknow — Central, East, West and Cantt. — since 1991. Mr Vajpayee’s charisma clearly overshadowed the lack of performance of the party MLAs and a single visit by the former Prime Minister will turn the tide in the BJP’s favour.
With Mr Vajpayee having retired completely from public life, this is the first election that the BJP is facing without Mr Vajpayee in Lucknow. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, a passionate written appeal by Mr Vajpayee had ensured the victory of his close associate Lalji Tandon from Lucknow.
In a byelection in 2009, the Congress wrested the Lucknow West seat from the BJP. The seat was vacated after Lalji Tandon became MP.
This time, it is the emergence of the Congress on the five urban seats, (including the newly-created Lucknow North seat) which is disturbing the still waters. Though the BJP has extensively used Mr Vajpayee’s photographs in its campaign, the impact is minimal.
“How long can the BJP rest on Mr Vajpayee’s laurels? People are now questioning the performance, or non-performance, of the MLAs who have been holding the seats since 1991. There have been BJP governments at the Centre and the state at the same time as well as coalitions with the BSP and there is no excuse for the lack of development in the state capital,” says UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi, also Congress candidate from Lucknow Cantt. seat.
BJP MLA from the same seat Suresh Tiwari argues that development had been deliberately stalled during the past five years of the BSP regime. “For the BSP, the priority was the parks and statues and basic civic amenities were ignored,” he said.