After creating history by returning to power in Uttar Pradesh for a second consecutive term, the BJP is now eying a majority in both Houses of the state legislature and making all-out efforts to sweep the UP Legislative Council polls scheduled on April 9. The ruling party has already unanimously won nine of the 36 council seats that were up for grabs. Voting for rest 27 seats will take place on Saturday and the results will be declared on April 12.
The BJP had 35 MLCs in the 100-member Council and the nine seats have now taken its tally to 44. The party is only seven short of majority. The Samajwadi Party has 17 members while the BSP has 4 and the Congress and BJP allies Apna Dal(S) and Nishad Party have one member each. Two members belong to the teachers’ group (non-political) and two are Independent.
That leaves 37 positions in the Upper House vacant, but the election will be held for 36 seats, where elected representatives of local bodies will cast votes. One seat is lying vacant due to the death of SP MLC and leader of opposition Ahmad Hassan during the Assembly polls.
The BJP is leaving no stone unturned to win all the seats. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been convening virtual meetings with party’s elected representatives. According to highly-placed sources in the party, ministers, MLAs and MPs have been asked to reach out to the voters to ensure an impressive victory. The party’s organisational secretary Sunil Bansal and his team are keeping a close eye on the day-to-day preparations for the Council polls.
In the meeting convened by CM Yogi, around 32,000 people were virtually connected. The CM appealed to MLAs, zila panchayat members, block development council members, mayors, municipal chairpersons, village pradhans and corporators to work for the victory of the BJP’s Council poll candidates.
With only seven more seats to grab, attaining a majority in the House will not be a difficult task for the party. However, it’s aiming for a ‘clean sweep’ to consolidate its position further.
A BJP leader explained that in 2017, when the Yogi government first came to power in the state, the SP had 60-plus seats in the Council. “If the BJP gets a majority in both Houses, it will be easier for the party to get important bills and cement its position as an even more formidable political force.”
