The BJP’s defeat in the recent Lok Sabha byelection in Gorakhpur and Phulpur cannot be seen as a referendum on the policies and programmes of the party’s government at the Centre or in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday.
He, however, said the BJP had learnt a “lesson” [from the outcome], and he was confident the party would perform better in future polls, especially the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “I don’t see the results as a referendum,” he said at a media event here.
Mr. Adityanath said the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) combine had not made any dent in the BJP’s vote bank. “Our vote bank is intact,” he said.
The SP-BSP understanding was not an alliance but a “political deal”, he said.
During the campaign for the byelections, the results of which were announced last week, the Chief Minister had launched a frontal attack on the two parties, referring to them as “snake and mole”. “Whatever I have said is right, and I still stick to it,” he said.
“The SP and the BSP are private limited companies, one-man shows and undemocratic, as these are family-based organisations.”
To another question, Mr. Adityanath said Congress president Rahul Gandhi might ride the “elephant” [BSP’s election symbol] next time after leaving the “cycle” [SP’s election symbol]. In the previous Assembly elections, the Congress was in an alliance with the SP.
Asked what led to the BJP’s defeat in the bypolls, he said, “It was due to over-confidence and complacency in candidates.”
‘Family matter’
Mr. Adityanath said that he discussed the BJP’s defeat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, but did not divulge details.
Asked what transpired in the talks, he said, “Family matters cannot be shared in public.”
When a media representative pointed out that the entire State was his family, he smiled and said, “Don’t forget that there are neighbours too.”
Mr. Adityanath, who completes one year in office on Monday, said he had changed the image of the State from one of anarchy and chaos to that of all-round development and security. Rejecting the charge that the crime graph had increased during his tenure, he said, “... see the difference between pre- and post-2017.”
“Our government has accelerated the speed of development, provided power to every nook and corner of the State and ensured security to the people,” he said.
Asked if he looked forward to his second year in office, with Lok Sabha polls about a year away, he said, “Our days will be superb, and I am confident that we will win all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the State.”
