UP verdict rejection of politics of caste and dynasty: Amit Shah

Basking in the glory of astounding electoral victory in India’s largest state of Uttar Pradesh, the head of India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah has underlined that the poll mandate is a boost for the politics of development and performance. The BJP’s victory, Mr Shah said, signalled a clear rejection of politics of dynasty and caste, a dig at main rivals Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. Addressing the media at the BJP national headquarters in New Delhi on March 11, the BJP chief, the chief strategist of the party’s victory in UP, and also said the electoral verdicts in UP three other states of Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa have positioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the “most popular” leader in independent India. Mr Shah underscored that the election results “have further given a boost to our party’s development agenda.” “BJP’s win will end dynasty politics and casteism in national politics. This victory will open a new era of politics in our country. It would be the politics of performance,” he observed in his opening remarks. “This is the biggest win for a party in these two states ever since the bifurcation of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh,” he added. Mr Shah, a key aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said “Shri Narendra Modi has emerged as the most popular leader in the history of independent India and even BJP’s political rivals have to admit it.” He declined to react to the BSP supremo Mayawati’s allegation earlier at a media conference in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, hinting that electronic voting machines were tampered with as the BJP swept most of the votes in several Muslim-dominated constituencies in the state. “I don’t want to comment on Mayawatiji’s remarks because I can understand her state of mind now,” Mr Shah said. Mayawati-led BSP finished a distant third in UP behind BJP and Samajwadi Party. The BJP chief said “move past Hindu-Muslim, a voter is a voter; politics of development should take place.