India Election: Why Did Modi’s BJP Lose Its Stronghold in Uttar Pradesh?
Anger over job issues and fears among Dalits and Muslims contributed to the BJP’s loss, despite the party’s hopes that the Ram temple launch five months earlier would secure a significant victory. India’s elections had not yet commenced, but columnists based in Delhi were already predicting the outcome of the most significant prize: Uttar Pradesh (UP), the northern state that is the country’s largest and sends the largest number of legislators to the national parliament. The state’s 80 members of parliament in a house of 543 often determine the fate of the national government. In 2014 and 2019, Uttar Pradesh …