Under attack for rising crimes, particularly against women, under his watch and for deepening caste and religious discord across Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath secured a major vote of confidence on November 10, when the BJP won six of seven assembly seats to which bypolls were held a week ago.
Adityanath had campaigned in each seat, even as rivals targeted him over the recent Hathras gang rape and a slew of ghastly crimes that rocked UP in recent months. Though the BJP’s voteshare shrunk to about 36 per cent in the bypolls amid a resurgence of key rivals Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and even the Congress to an extent, it managed comfortable victories in Naugawan Sadat, Bulandshahr, Tundla, Ghatampur, Deoria and Bangarmau. The lone setback came in Malhani, where BJP finished a distant third in the fight between SP victor Lucky Yadav and his nearest rival, local bahubali Dhananjay Singh, who contested as an independent.
The BJP’s success, however, may be seen as reward for its gradual bonhomie with BSP supremo Mayawati,...
