The choice of Meerut holds significant symbolism as it is the constituency where Arun Govil, the actor renowned for portraying Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic ‘Ramayan’ series, has been fielded by the BJP. 

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to launch the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls in Uttar Pradesh from Meerut on March 31. This strategic move marks the beginning of BJP’s electoral strategy. The choice of Meerut holds significant symbolism as it is the constituency where Arun Govil, the actor renowned for portraying Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic ‘Ramayan’ series, has been fielded by the BJP.

The state of Uttar Pradesh plays a pivotal role in the BJP’s ambitious target of winning 370 seats in the Lok Sabha. With the highest number of Lok Sabha seats in the country, UP is a battleground that the BJP cannot afford to overlook. The party aims to surpass its previous performance in the state and secure a stronger mandate. In the 2019 elections, the BJP’s victory in Meerut was hard-fought, with candidate Rajendra Agarwal winning by a narrow margin against the SP-backed BSP candidate Haji Yakub Qureshi.

In 2014, the BJP had achieved a remarkable feat by securing 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh. However, the dynamics changed in 2019 with the emergence of a alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. This alliance posed a challenge to the BJP, resulting in a slight decrease in the ruling party’s seat count to 64. Despite the BSP securing 10 seats, the SP fell short of expectations with less than five seats.

Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases.

Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13. The Uttar Pradesh electorate will also vote in phases five, six and seven on May 20, May 23 and June 1 respectively. The votes will be counted on June 4.