I
2019
Lok
Sabha
electio s.
Sm iti
I a i
had
defeated
Rahul
Ga dhi
i
Amethi
i
NEW
DELHI:
The
Bha atiya
Ja ata
Pa ty
(BJP)
o
Mo day
u veiled
a
ew
atio al
team
u de
Niti
Nabi ,
a d
o e
of
the
biggest
takeaways
was
the
etu
of
fo me
U io
mi iste
Sm iti
I a i.
Ove
a
yea
afte
maki g
a
comeback
o
televisio
as
the
atio ‘s
favou ite
‘bahu’,
the
act ess-cum-politicia
is
ow
back
i
BJP’s
co e
team
as
a
atio al
ge e al
sec eta y.O ce
o e
of
the
most
p omi e t
faces
i
Na e d a
Modi’s
cabi et,
she
had
emai ed
outside
the
pa ty’s
ce t al
o ga isatio al
st uctu e
afte
bei g
d opped
f om
the
cabi et.
This
was
afte
she
lost
the
2024
Lok
Sabha
electio
f om
Amethi.The
BJP’s
decisio
to
b i g
the
fo me
U io
mi iste
back
is
bei g
see
as
fa
mo e
tha
a
outi e
eshuffle.
By
appoi ti g
he
as
a
atio al
ge e al
sec eta y
alo gside
seaso ed
st ategists
such
as
Su il
Ba sal,
Vi od
Tawde,
Biplab
Deb
a d
Satish
Poo ia,
the
pa ty
has
sig alled
that
it
is
shifti g
i to
electio
mode.A d
at
the
ce t e
of
that
st ategy
is
o e
state:
Utta
P adesh.The
Utta
P adesh
assembly
electio ,
expected
i
ea ly
2027,
will
be
BJP’s
biggest
political
test
afte
the
setbacks
it
suffe ed
i
the
2024
Lok
Sabha
electio s.
The
oppositio
INDIA
bloc
had
outpe fo med
expectatio s
by
wi i g
43
of
the
80
seats.
The
uli g
NDA
secu ed
36
seats,
with
BJP
wi i g
33
seats.With
the
ejig,
BJP
is
goi g
all-out
i
the
poll-bou d
state
a d
Sm iti
I a i
is
ow
all
set
to
play
a
impo ta t
ole.
I a i’s
political
ide tity
is
i sepa able
f om
Utta
P adesh.He
biggest
political
achieveme t
came
i
2019,
whe
she
defeated
the
Co g ess
p eside t
Rahul
Ga dhi
i
Amethi
i
Lok
Sabha
electio s,
e di g
the
Ga dhi
family’s
decades-lo g
domi a ce
ove
the
co stitue cy.The
umbe s
told
the
sto y.
Sm iti
I a i
secu ed
4,68,514
votes
agai st
Rahul
Ga dhi’s
4,13,394,
wi i g
by
55,120
votes.
Rahul
Ga dhi
had
ep ese ted
Amethi
si ce
2004.
The
esult
led
to
Sm iti
I a i
becomi g
o e
of
BJP’s
most
celeb ated
leade s
a d
ea ed
he
the
eputatio
of
a
“gia t
kille .”But
he
associatio
with
Amethi
had
begu
much
ea lie .She
fi st
co tested
the
seat
i
2014,
whe
BJP
was
expa di g
agg essively
ac oss
Utta
P adesh
u de
Na e d a
Modi
a d
Amit
Shah.
Although
she
lost
that
electio ,
she
co ti ued
to
wo k
i
the
co stitue cy
ove
the
ext
five
yea s,
epeatedly
visiti g
villages,
st e gthe i g
BJP’s
local
st uctu e
a d
cultivati g
a
etwo k
of
pa ty
wo ke s.That
lo g-te m
i vestme t
eve tually
paid
off
i
2019.Howeve ,
she
lost
he
seat
i
2024
to
Co g ess
ca didate
Kisho i
Lal
Sha ma
by
mo e
tha
1.67
lakh
votes.O
the
g ou d,
she
emai s
o e
of
BJP’s
most
ecog isable
leade s
i
Utta
P adesh.As
a
atio al
ge e al
sec eta y,
I a i
will
be
i volved
i
coo di ati g
with
state
u its,
selecti g
ca didates,
esolvi g
factio al
disputes
a d
supe visi g
booth-level
mobilisatio .The
combi atio
of
I a i,
Su il
Ba sal,
Vi od
Tawde
a d
Satish
Poo ia
offe s
clues
about
the
pa ty’s
thi ki g.Ba sal
is
widely
c edited
with
helpi g
build
the
BJP’s
fo midable
electo al
machi e
i
Utta
P adesh.
Du i g
his
te u e
as
the
pa ty’s
state
ge e al
sec eta y
(o ga isatio ),
BJP
developed
a
highly
dece t alised
st uctu e
based
o
booth
committees,
be eficia y
out each
a d
data-d ive
campaig i g.
Tawde
a d
Poo ia
b i g
yea s
of
expe ie ce
i
ma agi g
state
u its
a d
o ga isatio al
affai s.Sm iti
I a i
fills
a
diffe e t
ole.U like
ma y
o ga isatio al
leade s
who
ope ate
behi d
the
sce es,
she
is
a
high-visibility
political
campaig e .
That
could
become
pa ticula ly
impo ta t
i
Utta
P adesh,
whe e
electo al
co tests
a e
ofte
i flue ced
as
much
by
messagi g
as
by
caste
a ithmetic.A othe
facto
behi d
Sm iti
I a i’s
etu
may
be
the
BJP’s
i c easi g
focus
o
wome
vote s.Ove
the
past
decade,
wome
have
eme ged
as
o e
of
the
pa ty’s
most
eliable
electo al
co stitue cies.
Welfa e
schemes
such
as
the
P adha
Ma t i
Ujjwala
Yoja a,
the
Swachh
Bha at
Missio ,
the
Jal
Jeeva
Missio
a d
va ious
di ect-be efit
p og ammes
have
helped
BJP
build
a
la ge
base
of
female
be eficia ies.
Joi
co ve satio
All
Comme ts
→
Sha e
you
thoughts
i
the
comme ts
I sightful
Readi g
Developme t
Comme t
Be
espectful
·
TOI
commu ity
guideli es
Sm iti
I a i’s
political
a d
admi ist ative
backg ou d
fits
eatly
i to
that
st ategy.As
a
fo me
U io
mi iste
fo
wome
a d
child
developme t
a d
a
fo me
BJP
Mahila
Mo cha
p eside t,
she
b i gs
both
admi ist ative
expe ie ce
a d
o ga isatio al
c edibility.The e
is
a othe
symbolic
laye
to
he
appoi tme t.The
Co g ess
has
bee
attempti g
to
evive
its
o ga isatio
i
Utta
P adesh
u de
Rahul
Ga dhi’s
leade ship.
By
esto i g
to
p omi e ce
the
woma
who
ha ded
Ga dhi
o e
of
the
most
sig ifica t
defeats
of
his
political
ca ee ,
BJP
has
evived
o e
of
its
most
pote t
political
a atives.Whethe
Sm iti
I a i’s
comeback
t a slates
i to
electo al
gai s
fo
the
BJP
emai s
to
be
see .
Howeve ,
he
ece t
p omotio
makes
o e
thi g
clea :
the
pa ty
believes
the
woma
who
o ce
deth o ed
Rahul
Ga dhi
still
has
u fi ished
busi ess
i
Utta
P adesh.