Shah hails victory, says Modi most popular leader since independence
BJP chief Amit Shah said his party will "form government in four states - UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur." He hailed the victory for being a result of PM Narendra Modi's leadership, adding that he would "take the country's politics in a new direction." He said the party would meet to pick a chief minister for UP based on performance.
Shah says parties should move beyond divisive politics
Shah said, "We will fulfil the promises we have made to the people of Uttar Pradesh." He said parties should "move past Hindu-Muslim, a voter is a voter; politics of development should take place" "We accept our defeat in Punjab. We will study the defeat in depth," he added. He said the BJP's win is a victory of Modi's Jan Dhan and demonetization policies.
Amit Shah proves again he's an expert poll strategist
BJP President Amit Shah once again proved his worth as the nation's best electoral strategist by winning UP Assembly elections, three years after winning the state in the Lok Sabha elections. Shah carefully crafted the wave that swept UP over a long time. He stayed at the BJP head office in Lucknow, travelled around the state over several months and visited small towns too.
Shah targeted caste groups not getting representation from SP
Shah learnt from old BJP strategies of breaking other parties' caste strangleholds. Shah created a strategy taking advantage of Modi's OBC status. He also put together a vote bank independent of Yadavs and Jatav vote bank of the SP and BSP, respectively. He also inducted BSP's disgruntled Dalit leaders who brought both their followers and helped turn Dalit sentiments in favour of the BJP.
Shah turned Modi wave into tsunami
Shah ensured PM Modi would himself go and address dozens of rallies. He organized rallies and roadshows featuring several central ministers coinciding with those of the SP-Congress to ensure the voter mood didn't get swayed. He planned a roadshow for Modi in Varanasi exactly when Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi were holding one in an adjoining route.
Shah realized no single election plank could apply to UP
Shah orchestrated a series of different election planks for each of the UP elections' seven phases depending on issues relevant to each regional demographic. For example, Modi's 'shamshan-kabaristan' speech raising a communal issue was made only after polls ended in constituencies where the SP and BSP mostly fielded Muslim candidates and where any such statements by him would help them consolidate the Muslim vote.
