New Delhi: Doctored and fake videos and messages about prime minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah, paper leaks in government recruitment exams, and the “change the Constitution” charge by I.N.D.I.A. parties were the primary reasons for the BJP’s debacle in Uttar Pradesh, a report by the state unit prepared to assess the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections in the states.
The report will be submitted to the Delhi leadership later this week, and a discussion on the future course of action will take place, said party sources.
A prominent reason for the debacle, several party leaders said, was a “misinformation” campaign against BJP leaders. One of these was a video where Amit Shah was seen as saying that the BJP will end reservations for SC, ST, and OBC communities if voted to power. The video was debunked as fake with the ministry of home affairs, Delhi Police and Mumbai police filing cases in connection with it, leading to the arrests of members of the IT Cell of Telangana unit of the Congress. The damage, however, was done, says UP leaders.
“Another fake message that spread widely was a video of PM Modi from his last address in the Rajya Sabha before the polls where he was reading out a letter by PM Jawaharlal Nehru to then state CMs, saying that he dislikes reservations. This was edited to look like PM Modi was against reservations,” a leader said.
Sources in the party’s state unit said that the primary reason that has emerged after deliberations among party leaders, an extensive internal survey of workers as well as from its feedback system is the charge by INDIA parties that the BJP will change the Constitution if it comes to power. Several BJP leaders were even quoted saying that they will indeed change the Constitution.
“This charge completely alienated the SC as well as backward community votes which were with us in 2014, 2017, 2019 and even 2022. They were angry with us,” said a senior party leader, who lost to a prominent INDIA candidate in the state.
Leaders also said that the migration of SC votes due to this did not lead them to Bahujan samaj Party, which was perceived this term as doing nothing. “Without the BSP’s support, the entire vote was picked by Samajwadi Party,” a Parliamentarian from the state said.
The migration of SC and backward votes, the leaders said, were found mostly among young voters. “The older voter has experienced the misgovernance during the SP’s tenure; it is the youth vote that diverted,” the senior leader quoted above said.
Key reasons that goaded this movement of votes were joblessness and paper leaks. “Paper leaks in government recruitment exams including the UP Police constable exam and the UP Public Service Commission fuelled anger among the youth,” a general secretary of the party’s state unit said. He added that unemployment, too, was a significant factor.