Ahigh-stakes electoral contest like the one on in Uttar Pradesh never has a dearth of issues for political parties. At the start of the campaign, issues like the farmers’ agitation against the now-repealed farm laws, inflation, development or the lack of it, communal polarisation, caste and unemployment were expected to determine voter behaviour. But as the seven-phase polling progressed in India’s most populous state, new ‘deciding factors’ have emerged.
Two major issues favouring the ruling BJP are the perceived improvement in law and order in the state and the free ration being provided to the poor by the Yogi Adityanath administration. Prime challenger Akhilesh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party (SP) are hoping to turn the mood against the BJP by raising two sensitive issues—the problem of stray cattle and the demand among government staff for revival of the old pension scheme.