{"id":2126,"date":"2024-04-10T13:06:58","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T13:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=2126"},"modified":"2024-04-10T13:06:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T13:06:58","slug":"in-battleground-state-of-uttar-pradesh-indias-modi-has-strong-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=2126","title":{"rendered":"In battleground state of Uttar Pradesh, India\u2019s Modi has strong support"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nUttar Pradesh, India \u2014\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
After spending a morning loading his freshly harvested sugar cane crop onto a cart under a blazing sun, Krishan Pal feels a little dejected. He says profits from his one-hectare farm in India\u2019s northern Uttar Pradesh state have dwindled in recent years due to rising costs of essentials like fertilizer and pesticide.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis government is not looking at the expenses we incur,” he told VOA. “It is not helping farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite his frustrations, Pal will back Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, which is seeking a third term in upcoming general elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a nation of Hindus. Hindus should stay in power,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/div>\nKrishan Pal loads his sugar cane onto a cart in Didoli village in Uttar Pradesh, India, April 3, 2024. (Anjana Pasricha\/VOA)<\/span> \n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Politically pivotal region<\/strong><\/p>\n
For the estimated 200 million residents of Uttar Pradesh \u2014 a state more populous than Brazil and lesser developed than other Indian states \u2014 issues such as falling incomes, joblessness and rising prices are talking points among urban and rural communities as April 19 elections approach.<\/p>\n
In a market in Muradnagar town, a group of shopkeepers discuss their businesses while awaiting customers. Mohammed Ashraf says his business of supplying fresh milk to customers has shrunk due to competition from young unemployed people entering the same line of work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no jobs in companies,\u201d Ashraf said. \u201cIn 10 years, what has the government given? Employment avenues have [been] reduced. People want jobs, businesses, not just roads. What will young people do?\u201d<\/p>\n
But for many voters, such concerns remain on the back burner. Across the towns and villages of Uttar Pradesh, the overwhelming sentiment is staunch support for Modi\u2019s ruling BJP \u2014 much as it was in the 2014 and 2019 elections that cemented its political dominance.<\/p>\n
And because of its sheer numbers \u2014 the state determines 80 of 543 elected lawmakers in India’s lower house of parliament \u2014 whichever party holds sway over Uttar Pradesh is most like to secure the parliamentary majority needed to govern.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/div>\nA group of shop owners and residents discuss India’s upcoming elections in a market in Muradnagar town in Uttar Pradesh, April 3, 2024. (Anjana Pasricha\/VOA)<\/span> \n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Favorable polls<\/strong><\/p>\n
Most recent surveys project a landslide victory for BJP in the six weeks of voting that begin April 19, with the party taking 70 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh alone.<\/p>\n
Surveys also indicate an opposition alliance called INDIA is expected to fare poorly in the state, with the once regionally dominant Samajwadi Party, which ruled Uttar Pradesh between 2012 and 2017, picking up less than 10 seats.<\/p>\n
Regional support for BJP, say analysts, is fueled by the party\u2019s Hindutva ideology, which puts Hindu national identity and improved governance at heart of its movement. Since 2017, Uttar Pradesh has been headed by prominent BJP official Yogi Adityanath, a Hindu priest turned politician.<\/p>\n
Despite the lack of jobs and widespread regional poverty, some farmers like Kapil Tyagi say they\u2019re satisfied with local development since Modi\u2019s rise to power.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government has done good work,\u201d he said. \u201cA water tank has been installed. The electricity supply is regular, and we will be getting a road soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Tyagi spoke, a group of people gathered around, nodding silently in agreement.<\/p>\n
Some 40 kilometers away in bustling Ghaziabad, the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, entrepreneur Manan Anand says he found it easy to secure a bank loan for his venture.<\/p>\n
In a state that once had a high crime rate, he says, he\u2019s happy to see safety has improved.<\/p>\n
\u201cModi\u2019s government is doing fairly good as compared to earlier governments,\u201d said Anand. \u201cGirls and women can go out easily in the evening, that was not the case earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Anand says more needs to be done to expedite development, he\u2019s optimistic the Modi government is on the right track.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/div>\nFarmers in Uttar Pradesh, India, work in a sugar cane field, April 3, 2024. (Anjana Pasricha\/VOA)<\/span> \n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018Modi guarantees\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n
Modi\u2019s appeal is built on a variety of factors, according to political analyst and author Neerja Chowdhury.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is seen as the king of Hindu hearts,\u201d she told VOA. \u201cHe has flagged nationalism and national pride in a big way \u2014 BJP has given social welfare schemes that have given money in the hands of many people, what he calls \u2018Modi guarantees.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In January, Modi inaugurated a grand temple in Ayodhya dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Ram that stands on the site of a demolished 16th-century mosque, fulfilling a longstanding BJP pledge to rebuild the Uttar Pradesh holy site. Symbolizing the country\u2019s surging Hindu cultural nationalism, it has since drawn pilgrims by the tens of thousands.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndians are by nature religious, and Modi and the BJP have brought this to the fore. The opening of the temple has been packaged politically as if Modi played a pivotal role in its construction. He is perceived as the man who delivers,\u201d said political analyst Rasheed Kidwai.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if people face hardship such as lack of jobs, they feel their national roots, their faith, their culture is getting primacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The BJP is also credited with stitching up alliances with small parties to widen its support base throughout the state.<\/p>\n
Launching his election campaign from the Uttar Pradesh city of Meerut on March 31, Modi expressed confidence about his party\u2019s reelection.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur government has started work for our next term. We are preparing the roadmap for the next five years and talking about the big decisions we will take in the next 100 days,\u201d he told a huge crowd. Modi also spoke about India\u2019s growing stature in the global community and said he aimed to make the country the world\u2019s third largest economy.<\/p>\n
On that same day, top leaders of the opposition INDIA alliance gathered in Delhi to accuse Modi and his ruling BJP of undermining democracy by intimidating and arresting political rivals, charges Modi denies.<\/p>\n
Officials with the Samajwadi Party, the main opponent to BJP and part of the broader opposition alliance, have also said that protecting democracy and the right to social justice are critical to national development.<\/p>\n
Criticism aside, analyst Chowdhury says Modi appeals to a young, aspiring nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is talking about India 10 years down the line, 25 years down the line, 50 years down the line, selling people dreams which the opposition is not able to match.\u201d<\/p>\n
A good showing in Uttar Pradesh will be pivotal to Modi\u2019s ambitions of surpassing his party\u2019s present tally of 303 seats in parliament. India\u2019s elections will be held in seven phases over six weeks with votes being counted on June 4.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\n<\/div>\n![\"Farmers](\"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/01000000-0aff-0242-bd2f-08dc5955e6d4_cx0_cy5_cw100_w250_r1_s.jpg\"\/)
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