The Countdown Uttar Pradesh: Prannoy Roy's analysis of the biggest electoral battles
With two phases of voting left for the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, NDTV's Prannoy Roy and his team on The Countdown get you special insights from the state's electorate, along with exclusive interviews with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and wife Dimple Yadav, and Congress candidate Yogesh Shukla. Another important factor that The Countdown analyses is the Priyanka Gandhi Vadra impact in the state after she was appointed the Congress's general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh earlier this year.
In the 2014 general elections, the BJP and its allies won 72 seats in Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 lawmakers - the highest among states - to the Lok Sabha.
Here are the highlights of today's episode of "The Countdown":
Congress' Yogesh Shukla on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's UP impact
Priyanka Gandhi's role in UP has created a sense of enthusiasm in the party and among party workers.
People look at her and consider that they have a good leader for the future.
She has an incredible ability to connect with people.
"Till now, BJP used to be considered an ancillary unit of RSS. Now it seems it is the other way round... [RSS] is being used to accomplish BJP's goals," says Congress' Yogesh Shukla
BJP's Rita Bahuguna:
My chief minister and Prime Minister knows that I attend events hosted by Muslims.
The one thing I would like to tell Muslim viewers is that I want them to trust the government.
Rita Bahuguna was with Congress for 20 years and switched sides to the BJP. "There was no future left after 2012. I was being ignored and not given an assignment."
The Muslim and the Dalit vote in Uttar Pradesh
The divided Muslim vote will be a major concern for non-BJP parties.
Sunaina Rawat, a 14-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh's Mohanlalganj, is not a voter but she is living every single election issue first-hand. Sunaina and her family embody the story of the Scheduled Castes voter in the state that will be most important in deciding who governs India next when results for the Lok Sabha elections are announced on May 23.
Sunaina is a seventh-grader and when she grows up, she wants to be a doctor. To help Sunaina, contact DoctorSunaina@ndtv.com
UP: one of the most polorised election?
With the Congress not joining Gathbandhan in Uttar Pradesh, it might just help BJP.
The BJP has realised that when parties don't hang together, they hang separately. Congress has not realised this.
The alliance could have been something that could get the Congress to the three-digit figure, affecting states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
How are the Bhramins voting?
Whatever development is there, it is all going to all parts of the country equally without caste or religious discrimination, including among Muslims.
Priyanaka Gandhi won't have an impact.
100 per cent PM Narendra Modi will come to power, not 95 per cent, full 100 per cent
One of the reasons women may support the BJP is because of its programme that gives free or subsidised cooking gas cylinders to the poor, says Prannoy Roy.
Another factor that has increased BJP's support among women voters is the programme to encourage people to build toilets at their homes.
People access schemes based on what is done in the past and this is what their vote is based on.
Young supporters of PM Modi traveled a long distance by train just so that they can caste their vote for PM Modi
We don't really see who the candidate is, we just vote for PM Modi
We are in need of a strong candidate and PM Modi is that strong leader we support. We think it is this strong leader that could run the team
The BJP factor in Uttar Pradesh:
- Highest support for BJP among young voters
- PM Modi supporters are very vocal about their support
- Though several candidates in BJP are good or bad, people vote for PM Modi
There is a solid vote transfer to the Mahagathbandhan, says Prannoy Roy in his analysis of the vote share
Prannoy Roy speaks to Akhilesh Yadav and wife Dimple Yadav:
- I was forced to announce seats because Congress did not approach us for alliance talks.
- People should not have to deal with any kind of confusion.
- People want the alliance to come to power
- The SP and the BSP will make post-poll decisions together. We don't know how many seats we will win, but we will decide those things later on.
- On Mamta for PM: I hope the Prime Minister is from Uttar Pradesh. The alliance will stand together and the decision to support Mayawati for PM or not will be taken on May 23
The Priyanka Impact in Uttar Pradesh polls:
- The support for Congress in the state up by 10 Per Cent
- Most people we spoke to said Priyanka Gandhi's role in Uttar Pradesh makes a lot of difference, but people won't remember the votes she got but the seats that she wins
How the caste factor will effect BJP votes in Uttar Pradesh: