With over 15 crore voters, India’s largest state Uttar Pradesh is a crucial electoral battleground. In 2014, the BJP won 71 seats, a huge jump from 10 seats it won in 2009. The number slipped to 62 in 2019 but Narendra Modi led-BJP emerged as the single largest party for the second time.
BJP entered the 2024 political arena in the state riding high on Ram Mandir and Hindutva issue but would that be enough to secure BJP’s third term at the Centre?
What are the key issues in the state this time? Can Narendra Modi lead BJP to victory in Uttar Pradesh? With nearly 70% of UP’s 23 crore people living in rural areas, how crucial is their vote? Will the Modi factor prevail or will rural distress take centre stage?
Watch The India Story: Road to 2024 with Utpal Pathak, Senior Journalist and Dr T P Singh, Dept of Political Science, Banaras Hindu University from Varanasi.