Will the Anger Over Farm Laws in Western UP Turn the Tides for the BJP?

We break down the core points of the BJP and SP-RLD campaigns and what the trends point towards.

Since 2014, the BJP has flipped the game in west UP, sweeping the entire region in two successive parliament polls and even the last Assembly polls.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

Fifty-eight constituencies, 11 districts, 143 seats, and the fate of nine sitting ministers are to be decided, as the polling was held on Thursday, 10 February, in western Uttar Pradesh.

West UP, often referred to as Jatland in the media, for being the Jat-dominated sugarcane belt of the state, witnessed a high-voltage electoral contest in the run-up to voting day, with the ruling BJP and the Opposition alliance SP-RLD trying to woo the community over the past few months.

And since 2014, the BJP has flipped the game in west UP, sweeping the entire region in two successive Parliament polls and even the last Assembly polls.

But this time, the saffron party may be nervous about its chances since the equations have changed primarily due to the anger among the Jat community over the now withdrawn farm laws. The pending dues of sugarcane farmers is another big issue in this region.

In today’s episode, we will break down these main issues, the core points of the BJP and SP-RLD campaign, and what the trends in this region point towards.

I’m joined by Aditya Menon, The Quint’s Political Editor and Himanshi Dahiya and Fatima Khan, The Quint’s correspondents who traveled across west Uttar Pradesh to bring you stories from the ground.