The BJP wants to increase its numbers from these states but UP that sent 73 NDA MPs to the Lok Sabha in 2014 remains the party’s electoral backbone.
While that explains the importance of a UP chief minister, Adityanath’s rapidly growing popularity outside the state could lead to a subtle change in the party’s pecking order. Bhubaneswar could set the tone for that.
Modi and Shah have set their eyes on unconquered territories, Odisha being one of them, to win the 2019 Lok Sabha election. India’s eastern coast disappointed the BJP in the last election, despite a steady increase in its vote share. On landing at Bhubaneswar airport, Amit Shah was offered a garland of 74 lotuses – 74 being the majority mark in 147 member assembly.
Shah wants this growth in popular support to translate into seats for the BJP in states such as West Bengal, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
An indication to Yogi the UP CMs ascension in the party hierarchy came from the choice of posters inside the venue — one on the dais showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah, former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee and senior leader LK Advani and another on the opposite side of the hall showing Adityanath surrounded by leaders at his swearing in ceremony.
