NOTE: Hindi Translation of this analysis can be found here
49 seats go to polls in the fifth phase in Uttar Pradesh on 23rd February.
There is a historical spectrum of turnouts in this phase with some Bundelkhand seats in high 60s to 70s in stark contrast with BJP’s urban strongholds dipping to as low as 30s. Much debate has ensued on this blog on the BJP’s prospects. While there is talk of a BJP surge on the one hand by those sympathetic to the BJP in stark contrast are the doomsday scenarios being painted by some psephologists in the media predicting a 4th place finish.
In an OpEd that appeared on Monday in The Pioneer, this blogger had this to say:
There can be two theories on what the spike in turnout means. The first theory posits that this may be a ‘wave election’ while the second one could mean it is really a case of ‘turning out the base’. On the face of it a ‘wave election’ should benefit the Congress or the Samajwadi Party, since both of them played the youth card in a big way hoping to build momentum on the appeal of Mr Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav respectively. A ‘turnout the base’ election on the other hand should benefit the BSP or the BJP.
The analysis across all phases to date shows significant structural weakness for the BJP
#1 – It has lost many seats past 2 to 3 elections that it once comfortably held in the 1990s. So a comeback for the BJP means reversing the trend of 3 or more election cycles in those seats.
#2 – Seats that it has consistently held over the years are limited to Urban pockets and in them there has been a steady pattern of declining turnouts with some slipping to Congress and a few resulting in close contests. A massive spike in turnout is no guarantee that those turning out to vote after so many years are necessarily committed BJP voters.
#3 – In areas like Bundelkhand where it is expected to do well on account of the Uma Bharati factor, MBC consolidation and an anti-BSP vote (betrayal of Kushawaha) the structural weakness is most apparent. As an example Charkhari the seat Uma Bharati is contesting, the BJP has won just once in the past and has finished 3rd past few elections by a sizeable margin barring 2009. To comfortably win in such seats the BSP vote has to transfer in significant proportions to the BJP vote with no leakage to the Congress.
The above 3 factors about sum up the odds the BJP has to beat if it has to emerge as a Dark Horse or as a March Surprise. In a wave election favoring the BJP like in 1993 this could have been achievable.
But 2012 unlike 1993 for the BJP is a turnout the base election and not a wave election with no pan UP theme or a campaign centered around one single personality with the late launch of Uma Bharati and long ambivalence on her candidature/status.
The detailed analysis follows:
95. Tundla (SC) – historically turnout in mid-40s, barely crossed 50% in 1993 & 1996 flipping between BJP and SP. Akhilesh Yadav trailed here in 2009 to BSP by significant margin (48% turnout)
96. Jasrana – high 50s to mid 60s turnout, peaked in 1993. wide margin for Akhilesh Yadav in 2009 (48% turnout)
97. Firozabad – wild swings in turnout from low 40s to high 60s. SP won here on and off. Narrow 6000 vote lead for Akhilesh in 2009 over BSP (48% turnout)
98. Shikohabad – high turnout between 50s and 60s, flipped between SP and BJP. Wide lead for Akhilesh in 2009 (48% turnout)
99. Sirsaganj – new delimited seat, wide lead for Akhilesh in 2009 (48% turnout)
100. Kasganj – low 50s to 60s. BJP stronghold slipped to SP. Independent Kalyan Singh lead here by a wide margin in 2009 (low 44% turnout)
101. Amanpur -new delimited seat, in 2009 outcome same as above
102. Patiyali – high 50s to high 60s turnout, BJP stronghold slipped to SP and BSP. narrow 7k lead in 2009 for Independent (low 44% turnout)
103. Aliganj – turnout in low to mid 60s, SP stronghold. Salman Kursheed trailed in 3rd place here in 2009. Narrow 4k lead for BSP over SP (46% turnout)
104. Etah – mid 50s to low 60s turnout, slipped from BJP to SP. wide margin in 2009 for Independent Kalyan Singh (44% turnout)
105. Marhara – new delimited seat, landslide for Independent in 2009 (44% turnout)
106. Jalesar (SC) – mid to high 50s turnout, flipped between BJP and SP. Part of Agra LS, SP lead in 2009 (low 42% turnout)
107. Mainpuri – low to high 50s turnout, flipped between BJP and SP. Mulayam Singh lead by wide margin in 2009 (49.6% turnout)
108. Bhongaon – historically turnout in high 50s to 60. SP stronghold. Mulayam Singh landslide in 2009 same as above
109. Kishni (SC) – low to mid 50s turnout, SP stronghold. Wide margin for Mulayam in 2009, same as above.
110. Karhal – mid 50s turnout, flipped from SP to BJP. Landslide for Mulayam in 2009, same as above.
199. Jaswantnagar – historically turnout in the 60s. Shivpal’s bastion. Mulayam landslide in 2009.
200. Etawah – declining turnouts from mid 50s to mid 50s, flipped between SP and BJP. Nail biting 1000 odd vote lead for BSP in 2009 (45% turnout)
201. Bharthana (SC) – high 50s to 60s turnout. SP stronghold slipped to Congress. 8k lead for SP over BSP in 2009 (45% turnout)
202. Bidhuna – mid 50s to 60s turnout. SP stronghold slipped to BSP. Akhilesh Yadav lead in 2009 (48% turnout)
203. Dibiyapur – new delimited seat, SP lead in 2009 (45% turnout)
204. Auraiya (SC) – range of turnouts in the 50s, flipped across parties. Narrow 8k lead for SP over BSP (45% turnout)
205. Rasulabad (SC) – new delimited seat, 11k lead for Akhilesh in 2009 (48% turnout)
206. Akbarpur-Raniya – looks like new delimited seat (old Akbarpur seat turnout in 60s, BSP stronghold). In 2009 less than 1000 vote lead for SP over BSP and less than 2k lead over Congress (43% turnout)
207. Sikandra – new delimited seat, SP lead in 2009 (45% turnout)
208. Bhognipur – turnout in 50s, slipped from BSP to SP. Narrow 5k lead for SP in 2009 (47% turnout)
209. Bilhaur (SC) – turnout in mid 50s, crossed 60 in 1993, flipped between SP and BSP. Narrow 1k lead for BSP over SP in 2009 (low 41% turnout)
210. Bithoor – new delimited seat, narrow 6k lead for Congress in 2009 (low 43% turnout)
211. Kalyanpur – BJP stronghold repeats trend of low and declining turnouts. Narrow 4k lead for BJP in 2009 (low 43% turnout)
212. Govindnagar – One time BJP stronghold with same declining turnout trend, slipped to Congress. BJP trailed Congress narrowly by 3k votes in 2009 (abysmal 36% turnout)
213. Sishamau – Same trend as Govindnagar – declining turnouts, slipped to Congress. Formidable Congress lead in 2009 (abysmal 36% turnout)
214. Arya Nagar – turnout declined from high 50s to 40s, moved around parties. Nail biting less than 1k lead for BJP over Congress in 2009 (abysmal 36% turnout)
215. Kidwai Nagar – new delimited seat. Narrow 9k lead for BJP over Congress in 2009 (abysmal 36% turnout)
216. Kanpur Cantt. – four time BJP stronghold with same declining turnout trend. Significant Congress lead over BJP in 2009 (abysmal 36% turnout)
217. Maharajpur – new delimited seat, nail biter in 2009 outcome settled by a difference of a few 100 votes between BJP and Congress (43%
218. Ghatampur (SC) – turnout in high 50s to 60s, seat moved between parties. 10k lead for congress in 2009 (43% turnout)
219. Madhaugarh -Turnout spanned the 50s, flipped between BSP and BJP. SP lead in 2009 (47% turnout)
220. Kalpi – mid to high 50s, even crossed 60 in 1993, BSP seat slipped to BJP. Ultimate nail biter of 2009 with difference between SP and BSP of just 8 votes (47% turnout)
221. Orai (SC) – mid to low 50s turnout, touched 60 in 1993, BJP seat slipped once to BSP. SP lead narrowly by 6k over BSP in 2009 (47% turnout)
222. Babina – mid to high 50s turnout, BJP seat went to BSP and SP. 1ok lead for Congress over BSP in 2009. The BJP’s fourth place finish tells the story of how it has lost ground to become irrelevant in its one time stronghold. (high 55% turnout, one of the highest in UP during 2009 LS polls)
223. Jhansi Nagar -new delimited seat (old Jhansi seat was a one time BJP bastion, showed same steady decline in turnout before eventually slipping to BSP). Massive lead for Congress in 2009 over BSP with BJP in third place in a seat it held in four consecutive elections. (high 55%)
224. Mauranipur (SC) – low to high 50s turnout, old BJP seat that slipped to Congress in two consecutive elections before swinging back to BJP. Narrow 4k lead for Congress over BSP in 2009, 4th place finish for BJP (high 55% turnout)
225 . Garautha – mid to high 60s turnout historically, one time Congress seat slipped to SP and BSP since. BSP lead by significant margin in 2009 over SP (47% turnout)
226. Lalitpur – Wild swings in turnout from low 40 to a high of 65%. Four time BJP bastion slipped to Congress. Narrow 3k lead for Congress over BSP with BJP in fourth place (high 55% turnout)
227. Mehroni (SC) – Historically one of the highest turnouts in this seat in Bundelkhand with high 60s and low 70s. Consistent pattern of flip-flops between Congress and BJP. Narrow 4k lead for Congress over BSP, BJP in fourth place. (high 55% turnout)
228. Hamirpur – mid to high 50s seat crossed 60 in 1993. BSP has won here past few cycles. Sizeable SP lead with narrow 1k fight for second place in 2009 between BSP and Congress (48.4% turnout)
229. Rath (SC) – low 50s turnout, touching 60 in 1993. 3 way close contest in 2009 with BSP leading BJP and Congress narrowly by 6k votes (48.4% turnout)
230. Mahoba – low to high 50s turnout. SP has won here past few cycles. Narrow 2k lead for BSP over Congress (48.4% turnout)
231. Charkhari – low 40s to low 50s turnout, BJP has won only once here in 1996 with Congress, SP and BSP holding this seat. Sizeable lead for BSP over Congress in 2009, BJP in 3rd place with less than 2k votes behind Congress. (48.4% turnout)
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Filed under: Anna Hazare, उत्तर प्रदेश २०१२, Baba Ramdev, Offstumped, Uttar Pradesh Polls 2012
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