Early 'Holi' for BJP as party ends its 14-yr exile in UP

Lucknow: BJP is now certain to end its 14-year 'Vanvas' (exile) and would be making the next Government in Uttar Pradesh after it went out of power in 2002 Assembly polls. The BJP and its alliance partners are certain to touch the magic figure of 300-mark, which could be the highest majority of any party after 1980 when Congress got 309 seats. With trends of all 403 seats available with the Election Commission, the BJP was leading in as any as 292 seats and its alliance partners Apna Dal (Sonelal) in eight and Bharatiya Samaj Party in five. With the win in sight, BJP leaders and workers have started celebrations with distributing sweets and playing Holi.

UP BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak told reporters at the state party headquarters here, that this is the win of the people and their faith shown for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. "Now the party will give a Government to serve the poor and develop the state as per the dreams of the people," he announced. Mr Pathak also attributed the aggressive campaigning and poll management of the party for the landslide victory of the party. The ruling Samajwadi Party, which held around 229 seats in the current Assembly, was just leading in 59 seats but would be the main Opposition party in the assembly as they have trounced the strong BSP which was leading in just 18 seats.

The Congress, which forged alliance with the SP, was leading in 12 seats , RLD in 2, Independents in 3 and others in 4 seats. In Lucknow, BJP was leading in 7 of the nine seats, while in PM's Varanasi constituency, the party was leading in all the five seats with one led by its alliance. In 12 Assembly seats of Allahabad, the BJP was leading in 9 while in Bareilly, of the nine seats, the BJP was ahead in eight seats. BJP candidates were also ahead in Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad and other parts of the state. (UNI)