‘Bulldozer’ has been the center of political debate for the last two days in Uttar Pradesh politics. After the Supreme Court’s comments on bulldozer action, the ongoing war of words between Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has raised the political temperature. Akhilesh Yadav has said that after SP government is formed in 2027, all the bulldozers will go towards Gorakhpur. Responding to it, CM Yogi said that only one who has both heart and mind can drive a bulldozer. After this, Akhilesh Yadav hit the target again and said that the bulldozer is driven by the steering and not by the brain.
CM Yogi Adityanath and Akhilesh Yadav are also giving a political message by targeting each other over the bulldozer operation. The political heat has increased over the by-elections to be held in 10 assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh and now the stake is being played on the pretext of bulldozer to flatten political equations. Akhilesh may be talking about turning the bulldozer towards Gorakhpur if he comes to power, but the SP’s ‘bulldozer’, which made a historic performance in UP in the 2024 elections, could not show political color in the Gorakhpur area.
Account not opened in Gorakhpur
Samajwadi Party has managed to win the highest number of seats in its political history this time. Out of the 80 parliamentary seats in the state, the SP has won a maximum of 37 seats. BJP has been wiped out from western UP to Awadh and Purvanchal, but none of Akhilesh Yadav’s political formulas have worked in Gorakhpur, CM Yogi’s stronghold. Not only in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but also in the 2022 assembly elections, the SP could not even open its account in Gorakhpur region.
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Six Lok Sabha seats in the division
Gorakhpur division has six Lok Sabha seats. Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon and Salempur Lok Sabha constituencies are in Gorakhpur division. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, under the India Alliance, the SP fielded candidates on four seats and the Congress contested on two seats. Out of these six seats in Gorakhpur division, only Salempur Lok Sabha seat was won by SP while five seats were won by BJP. The BJP definitely lost one seat compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as it captured all the six seats in 2019.
Even in 2022 the seat is not available
Not only in the Lok Sabha elections, but also in the 2022 assembly elections, the SP could not even open its account in Gorakhpur division. Gorakhpur division has four districts and these four districts have a total of 28 seats. The SP had formed an alliance with smaller parties in the 2022 elections. Subhasap chief Om Prakash Rajbhar was also with the SP alliance in 2022. Even after this SP did not get a single seat. Includes 9 seats in Gorakhpur, 7 in Deoria and 7 in Kushinagar, out of which no opposition party has won a single seat. Apart from this, out of 5 seats in Maharajganj, one seat has been won by Congress and remaining four seats by BJP. In this way, BJP MLAs were elected on 27 out of 28 seats of Gorakhpur division.
CM Yogi and Nishad Party
The BJP is still at its peak in Gorakhpur, a stronghold of CM Yogi Adityanath. CM Yogi has turned Gorakhpur division into a political bastion of BJP after coming to power in UP, but BJP’s defeat in Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat in 2018 by-election after becoming Chief Minister shook CM Yogi. After this, CM Yogi roped in Nishad Party leader Sanjay Nishad and also brought Sanjay Nishad, who had won the by-election from SP, into his camp. Not only this, Yogi worked to strengthen the BJP’s political base in the Gorakhpur region.
All formulas failed in Gorakhpur seat
Be it the 2024 Lok Sabha elections or the 2022 assembly elections, the opposition alone, separately or together could not defeat the BJP in the Gorakhpur constituency. Not only that, the percentage of votes is not reached. All the formulas of Akhilesh Yadav have proved failed in Gorakhpur area of Purvanchal. Even through the PDA formula, the SP could not fully solve the caste equation in Gorakhpur region, when Dalit and OBC voters play a crucial role in the region.
Akhilesh Yadav contested the 2024 elections in alliance with the Congress on the PDA (Backward Class-Dalit-Minority) formula. Although this formula of SP was a hit across UP, it has failed completely in Gorakhpur area. To establish his political influence in Gorakhpur division, Akhilesh Yadav also made political moves with Harishankar Tiwari, a Brahmin face from Purvanchal. SP fielded his son in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, but could not win.
By-elections to 10 assembly seats
After becoming the Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath has succeeded in establishing the Gorakhpur region as a political stronghold for the BJP. After the results of the 2024 elections, the political chess game for the 2027 assembly elections has started. In such a situation, the by-elections to be held on 10 assembly seats of the state are being considered as the litmus test of 2027. In such a situation, a war of words is going on between SP president Akhilesh Yadav and CM Yogi, but the matter is a bulldozer operation.
Whose bulldozer will run?
Akhilesh Yadav said that if SP comes to power in 2027 assembly elections, all bulldozers of UP will be diverted to Gorakhpur. On that, CM Yogi said that not everyone’s hand can sit on the bulldozer. This requires both heart and mind. Driving a bulldozer requires the will and ability of a bulldozer. People who rub their noses in rioters can’t drive bulldozers. Answering that, Akhilesh said that the bulldozer is driven by the steering and not by the brain. In such a situation, it remains to be seen what political impact the SP’s political bulldozer will show in Gorakhpur region in 2027.
