UP elections lookback: BJP performs poorly when it has a CM face, well on issues

A worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rides his bicycle past the party's campaign billboard featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside their party headquarters in New Delhi, India, February 10, 2015. The billboard reads: "One India, Best India". To match Insight INDIA-MODI/ REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee/File Photo - RTX2E3HK

Historical data seems to suggest that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lost in Uttar Pradesh each time it put a face to the chief minister post during election campaigning. In contrast, it won when the saffron issue was at the forefront.

Here is a look at the history of how BJP fare when it puts up a CM candidate and fought on the saffron issues:

• In 1967, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), as the BJP was known then, fought on the issue of “Gau Mata Bachao”. Its tally in the assembly rose to 98 from 49 in 1962. When former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was made the CM face in 1974, its tally rose to 61 from 49 in 1969.
• BJP formed its government in Uttar Pradesh for the first time when it fought the assembly election on “Ram Janmabhoomi” issue. It won a historic election by getting 221 seats from 57 it had in 1989.
• 1993, 1996: With Kalyan Singh as the chief ministerial face, it remained out of power even after emerging as the single largest party getting 177 seats in 1993 and 174 seats in 1996.
• In 2002, UP assembly election it projected Rajnath Singh as the CM candidate. Its tally went down to 88 seats.
• In 2007 assembly elections, Kalyan Singh was again chosen as CM candidate. The party performed miserably by getting only 51 seats in the assembly.
• During the 2012 state assembly election, BJP President Nitin Gadkari announced Uma Bharti as the CM face which resulted in it only getting 47 seats in the assembly.
• In 2017, riding on Narendra Modi wave, the BJP fought the state assembly election on development and Ram Mandir. Its tally in the assembly crossed 300 plus for the first time in history (counting is on while writing this story).