Party expecting more resignations once the candidate list is announced.
New Delhi: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which has 312 MLAs in the outgoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly, may deny tickets to as many as 50-70 sitting MLAs in view of multiple factors like age, performance on ground and the level of anti-incumbency that they are facing.
This decision, Lucknow-based RSS sources said, was one of the main reasons for sitting party MLAs joining other parties, primarily, the Samajwadi Party (SP). By the end of Thursday, at least 14 BJP MLAs, who included three ministers from the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet had resigned from the party. All these names, multiple BJP and RSS sources confirmed, were on the probable list of those who were to be denied tickets.
It is pertinent to mention that of the 312 BJP MLAs who won in 2017, 217 were first time MLAs. In all, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly saw 260 first time MLAs in the 2017 elections.
According to a Lakhimpur-based RSS functionary, there was no panic on the ground among BJP circles in view of the resignations of party leaders. “All the panic is in the media. We already were aware that these MLAs would resign once the code of conduct set in. Many more would resign once the BJP’s list is released. Please understand we work on the principle that the voters press the Lotus symbol primarily because they want the BJP to win, it is not too much dependent on the candidate’s name. Hence, we ensure that clean and good names are given the Lotus symbol. We are not worried about these resignations,” the RSS functionary said.
According to another RSS functionary, while it was true that the BJP was unlikely to win 300 plus seats, it was, however, going to cross the majority mark of 202 easily.
“No doubt, there are challenges that were not there in 2017, both internal and external. However, two things are helping us—image of the Prime Minister and Chief Minister, and steps taken in the last five years to improve the law and order situation. We are crossing 202 seats easily but not touching 312 seats,” he said.