Lucknow, Apr 2 (IANS): The upcoming Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh that are now less than a fortnight away, are proving to be a litmus test for all political parties, ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections.
The three-tier Panchayat elections in the state will be held in four phases and all the major political parties in the state are gearing up to fight it with full strength.
These elections will also mark the debut of the Aam Aadmi Party and Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM -- both of which are testing waters before the Assembly polls.
The biggest challenge in the Panchayat elections lay before the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The BJP is facing the ire of farmers and since the Panchayat elections focus on rural voters, turning the situation into its favour is an uphill task for the ruling party.
The BJP needs to perform exceptionally well to reaffirm its popularity and the party has entrusted its key workers and officials with the task.
Party cadres have been asked to highlight the development work and achievements of the Yogi Adityanath government.
Besides, with Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and now the Apna Dal, announcing to contest the Panchayat elections on their own, the BJP could face a depletion in OBC votes.
The party has also made it clear that no office bearer or his relative will be given a ticket this time. The BJP plans to focus on the young and educated candidates. The party has also appointed an in-charge for every district.
The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, hopes to gain maximum leverage from the ongoing farmer protests and has entrusted its district units with the responsibility of giving tickets to the candidates.
The SP will use the farmers' agitation to position itself against the BJP and also plans to get farmer leaders to campaign for its candidates.
The Bahujan Samaj Party, which has been on the decline since 2012, plans to regain lost ground in the Panchayat polls.
Mayawati has given the responsibility of the distribution of tickets to party's zonal heads. She has made it clear that the tickets in the Assembly elections will be given based on the performance of the Panchayat elections.
The Congress, on the other hand, is banking on the charisma of its General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to put up a respectable performance in the Panchayat polls.
The party claims to have set up its organisational structure at the grassroots level and these elections will test its claims.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which has been aggressively working on the ground since August last year, will also be testing its potential in the Panchayat elections for the first time.
The party has already announced the candidate names for some seats. Top leaders of the party are often seen raising local issues to cement the party's base at the ground level.