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Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav is the man of the moment in UP as SP is poised to emerge the party with most MPs in Uttar Pradesh | X The early trends after the counting started for the
Lok Sabha elections threw in a major surprise. The BJP, which won Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections with 71 and 62 seats respectively, has performed well below what was
expected of them. The Election Commission data till 6 PM showed the BJP with 31 seats, a massive fall in its tally in the state compared to the previous Lok Sabha elections. The SP,
currently with 38 seats in the state, has emerged as the party with highest number of MPs in the politically significant Uttar Pradesh. 1. ANGRY YOUTH AND PAPER LEAKS ISSUE In the run up to
the Lok Sabha elections in UP, the youth were often heard complaining about the paper leaks and how it was taking away opportunities from them. There was an undercurrent of anger in the
youth which they voiced at every opportunity. 2. RAM MANDIR NOT TRANSLATING INTO VOTES The BJP claims that the Ram Mandir is an emotional issue for the party and is a matter of faith rather
than politics. However, the grand Ram Mandir event and PM Narendra Modi himself being the _yajmaan_ definitely sent out a message. Though the timing of the temple inauguration looked
perfect, it definitely didn't fetch political points or fruits. 3. SP'S STRONG SHOW IN PURVANCHAL The eastern part of Uttar Pradesh is considered to be a bastion of Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. However, the Samajwadi Party had performed exceedingly well in eastern UP (Purvanchal), eating into the BJP's vote share and seats. 4. TICKET
DISTRIBUTION ISSUE The ticket distribution in Uttar Pradesh by the BJP was closely followed by political observers. However, not a lot was spoken about it as it was soon evident that the
candidates would be asking for votes in the name of PM Modi. To be fair, the Samajwadi Party also made last munute changes when it came to candidates. However, going by the trends, it is
clear that only the name of PM Modi didn't help a lot of BJP candidates in UP, unlike in the last two general elections. 5. AGNIVEER SCHEME? The controversial Agniveer scheme changed
the rules for recruitment in the armed forces. However, it has been controversial from day one and has been a topic of debate in a state that sends a large number of people to India's
defence forces. 6. STRAY CATTLE ISSUE The stray cattle issue might look trivial to urban voters but it surely has resonance with voters in the rural pockets. Farmers have time and again
complained about stray cattle destroying crops and causing financial loss to them. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav continously raised the issue of stray cattle to target UP CM Yogi
Adityanath and the BJP.