Afzal Ansari, the brother of slain gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, has credited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for BJP's wins in Uttar Pradesh in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections.
The Samajwadi Party MP, who has blamed the state government for his younger brother's death, further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's magic is over as BJP lost three constituencies surrounded by Varanasi.
Ansari said that had Yogi not camped in Varanasi, retaining his seat would have proved difficult for Modi.
“Modi’s magic is over now as Varanasi constituency is surrounded by Chandauli, Ghazipur and Machhlishahr LS constituencies and BJP lost all three. Gone are the days when Modi’s magic led to a cascading effect in east UP, Bihar and West Bengal because of his candidature from Varanasi,” Ansari was quoted as saying the Times of India.
Ansari added that BJP should thank Yogi for “avoiding a major disaster” in UP. “Due to his hard work and efforts, 30 seats could be won by BJP,” the SP MP said.