Uttar Pradesh Election Results 2017: Voters rose above caste for BJP victory, says minister

New Delhi: Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh on Saturday said the BJP’s cruising to victory in Uttar Pradesh was an indication that voters in the state have risen above caste for the first time. [caption id=“attachment_3226044” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] “The most important consequence of this is for the first time we are seeing voters rising above caste and creed considerations and voting for development. This also reflects that voters have moved away from the feudalistic mindset which has influenced voters for generations,” said Singh. Taking a jibe at the Congress, Singh said the party needed to come out of its dynasty politics to stay relevant. “The country’s youth, our voters are coming of age. They are growing wiser than many of the politicians. “Sooner or later the Congress itself will realise that in order to play a substantial role in politics, to stay relevant, it will have to come out of dynasty politics.” “The results today are a clear and loud message that crisis of leadership is a natural consequence of dynasty politics which has now lived its life. The Congress has stuck to dynasty succession irrespective of the merit and aptitude of the succeeding generation,” added Singh. BJP leaders on Saturday credited ‘Modi wave’ for the party’s stong showing in the high stakes Uttar Pradesh elections. On the next chief minister in the state, they said the decision will be taken by the BJP parliamentary board and the legislature party in the state soon. The results of the elections, which were fought under party chief Amit Shah, show that the BJP has been able to dispel the perception of being a party of upper castes only as now it commands the support of all sections of the society, including Dalits, they said. “It is a Modi wave. The wave which started with 2014 Lok Sabha elections is continuing in 2017 and the momentum will go beyond the 2019 general elections,” BJP Uttar Pradesh chief Keshav Prasad Maurya said. “The credit goes to Prime Minister Modi, his government’s pro-poor policies and party chief Amit Shah’s strategy. People have fought the elections on our behalf in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and results have vindicated their faith in us,” party general secretary Kailash Vijaywargia said. Another BJP general secretary O P Mathur, who is in-charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh, said the state has become “Modi-fied” and so has the country. With inputs from the agencies