Yogi Adityanath: "We Have Taken Away The BSP-SP Core Vote Bank"

Two years after Yogi Adityanath became Uttar Pradesh chief minister, the state continues to lag in employment generation, stray cattle have annoyed farmers, roads remain riddled with potholes and questions about the many police encounters that happened soon after his ascension have become louder. The bright spot of his rule, so far, has been the glitch-free organisation of the Kumbh Mela.

- PUJA AWASTHI/Gorakhpur

With the Lok Sabha elections entering the final phase, there are whispers that his once safe seat of Gorakhpur is shaky, which explains the inordinate time he has spent here campaigning for the BJP candidate, Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan. The BJP’s showing in the 80 seats will be key in deciding the future of the controversial leader. Excerpts from an interview:

How do you place the BJP after six phases of polling?

Our calculations remain the same as they were before the election. The BJP will win 74 plus seats in Uttar Pradesh. In the country, the BJP on its own will win 300 seats and 400 plus with its allies.

Are you looking at new allies?

The existing members of the National Democratic Alliance will get these numbers.

How do you look at the BSP-SP alliance?

The public perception about the Samajwadi Party is that whenever it is in power in the state, there is largescale lawlessness and goondagardi (hooliganism). Whenever the BSP has been in power, it has only given rise to corruption, disorder and unpleasantness. Today, the BSP-SP combine is most worried about the fact that the BJP has taken away its core vote bank. The largest benefits of schemes have gone to (their core voter). Those who do the politics of caste and nepotism are failing.

Do you see a role for the Congress in the state, especially after the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra?