How Eastern U.P. voted? A case of Gorakhpur district in the Assembly Polls of 2022

Abstract

Uttar Pradesh, being the largest state in the Indian union, has significant electoral ramifications for the rest of the country. Contributing 80 seats to the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Parliament of India), it definitely plays an important role in the electoral calculus for forming the union government. The Vidhan Sabha (state assembly) elections too are in some way an indicator of popular mood, though there has not always been convergence between popular mandate for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. The present paper analyses this dichotomy relating to the electoral verdict in the 2022 Assembly elections by taking the case study of Gorakhpur district in eastern U.P. The paper begins by giving a historical/factual account of political/electoral dynamics of the Gorakhpur district thereby looking at voting behavior in the past and Uttar Pradesh, being the largest state in the Indian union, has significant electoral ramifications for the rest of the country. Contributing 80 seats to the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Parliament of India), it definitely plays an important role in the electoral calculus for forming the union government. The Vidhan Sabha (state assembly) elections too are in some way an indicator of popular mood, though there has not always been convergence between popular mandate for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. The present paper analyses this dichotomy relating to the electoral verdict in the 2022 Assembly elections by taking the case study of Gorakhpur district in eastern U.P. The paper begins by giving a historical/factual account of political/electoral dynamics of the Gorakhpur district thereby looking at voting behavior in the past and 2022 Vidhan Sabha Elections. It then addresses some of the major issues that dominated polls in the 2022 elections, finally trying to trace some general patterns on whether Gorakhpur division was any different from the other major electoral districts and politically whether it could be a trendsetter for U.P/national politics in future. 2022 Vidhan Sabha Elections. It then addresses some of the major issues that dominated polls in the 2022 elections, finally trying to trace some general patterns on whether Gorakhpur division was any different from the other major electoral districts and politically whether it could be a trendsetter for U.P/national politics in future.