First Phase of Uttar Pradesh Elections Begin

The first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly—the lower house of Uttar Pradesh— will convene today.

The elections will consist of seven phases in total, in order to appoint 403 members to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) currently holds a decisive majority in the assembly with 207 seats, far surpassing the main opposition, Samajwadi Party (SP). In this year’s elections, the BJP is expected to secure yet another majority as suggested by popularity polls.

During the short-to medium term, the BJP’s agenda will primarily focus on boosting the economy and living conditions of the northern Indian state. In this framework, the BJP’s first move will likely concern the modernization of sugarcane and flour mills in the state to further increase agricultural production output. In addition, the BJP is also preparing to improve the work environment of farmers to help its goal. Therefore, expect the BJP to provide free electricity and irrigation to farmers.

While the BJP’s gesture will strengthen the farming sector, in turn decreasing the unemployment rate —especially amongst the youth population— it will also help BJP gain the support of farmers thereby curbing nationwide farmer unrest in the long-term.