BJP banks on 'Atiq' impact, Muslim support to sweep UP urban local body polls

BJP is banking on what the saffron party leaders term the 'Atiq' impact, and the expected support of the Muslims to sweep the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh local urban body polls, billed as a crucial test for the major political players in the state ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

That the saffron party believed that the recent spate of encounters in which several alleged shooters were involved in the recent killing of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the murder of the then BSP MLA Raju Pal in Prayagraj in 2005, had sent a "positive message" to the people in the state was evident by the speeches of the BJP leaders while campaigning when they refer to the encounters to bolster their contention that the state government was tough on mafias and criminals.

Read | UP urban local body polls: Over 96 L voters in new list

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, apparently undeterred by the criticism over the on-camera killings of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj a few days back, also said the mafia could no longer 'terrorise' people in the state.

Adityanath repeated his remarks at a public meeting at Saharanpur on Monday while seeking votes for the party nominees. The sensational killing of Atiq and Ashraf, who were shot dead from point blank range and in the presence of cops while speaking to the media in Prayagraj, had triggered a huge backlash prompting the opposition to demand Adityanath's resignation, citing "total collapse" of law and order in the state.

"The encounters have sent a positive message to the people... that the government is committed to eliminating the mafia elements," remarked a senior state BJP leader while speaking to DH here.

Although the BJP leaders refrain from publicly mentioning the Atiq-Ashraf killing, they do, however, stress at their public meetings that the slain duo were "hardened criminals" and that such people often met brutal ends.

BJP has also fielded a sizable number of Muslim candidates, especially from minority-dominated seats in central and western regions, hoping to get the community's support and drive home the message that it was not, as publicised by its rivals, not "anti-Muslim".

In the 2017 local urban body polls, BJP had won 14 of the 17 municipal corporations besides 70 chairpersons' posts and around 600 corporators' seats.