Congress, SP fared poorly in Agra region

Despite Congress leader Raj Babbar's road show, the Congress has been virtually wiped out in Agra region, failing to win a single seat of the 61 - mayor, town area chairman, Nagar Palika president.

While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has generally improved its performance, both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party have suffered a humiliating defeat.

The Bahujan Samaj Party with its major vote bank, the Dalits (Jatavs) intact just about managed to retain its vote percentage and the number of seats in the Agra Municipal Corporation, where it got 27, the Congress just two, SP five, independents 13, BJP 53, out of 100.

"No one of course expected any miracles from the Congress which is virtually decimated in this region. Bahujan Samaj Party retaining its vote bank and number of seats in the Agra Municipal Corporation, is not surprising. In fact, the BSP could have fared better if the Muslim votes had not gone to the Samajwadi Party," according to local leaders of various political parties.

Clearly opposition leaders miscalculated the public mood, hoping the anger against the GST and 'notebandi' would yield rich dividends. Voting pattern, and the analysis of poll percentages, indicate that the upper castes, the business class and a large number of youth reposed their faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's politics.

With Samajwadi Party's Rahul Chaturvedi losing his deposit in the mayoral contest in Agra, and the party losing Mainpuri, Mathura, Firozabad to BJP candidates, leaders loyal to Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav say that party supremo Akhilesh Yadav is facing an uncertain future.

--IANS

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