Mulayam and (below) Rajnath: Gloom and glee

New Delhi, Nov. 7: The BJP’s unexpected revival in Uttar Pradesh, signalled by the party’s almost two-thirds majority in corporation elections, has established Rajnath Singh’s political authority besides further strengthening the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s stronghold over the party.

Till this evening, the BJP had won seven seats and was leading in one of the 12 cities where corporation polls were held in Uttar Pradesh today.

The party has already bettered the results of last time when it won six corporations. But considering the situation the BJP is in now, its performance is much better than expected.

The Sangh quietly hailed today’s results as vindication of its decision to force a generation change in the BJP by installing Rajnath and pushing L.K. Advani out of the party president’s office last December.

The reason for jubilation in the Sangh quarters today is that civic poll results will inevitably be seen as an indication of what is to happen in the Assembly elections.

The RSS had mobilised its cadre in Uttar Pradesh like never before. It posted six organisational secretaries to work out strategy and organise cadre over the past six months. BJP leader Sanjay Joshi had camped in Uttar Pradesh for overall supervision. The Sangh loaned two more senior pracharaks — Ram Lal and Rakesh Jain — to the BJP two months ago for groundwork on the Assembly elections.

But the team of pracharaks worked overtime for the local body elections, a victory in which is bound to enthuse the cadre for the “fight ahead”.

“These results have cleared all confusion and indicate the direction in which Uttar Pradesh is headed. It is a clear sign of the people’s belief that the BJP is the only viable alternative to the misrule, corruption and communalism being practised by the Samajwadi Party in UP,” Rajnath told The Telegraph.