UP results: How farm anger fizzled in elections; west UP, spot of farmer deaths in Lakhimpur voted BJP

When farm protestors camped outside Delhi for a year, one of the leaders capturing the spotlight was Rakesh Tikait. His tears were believed to have rejuvenated the demonstration when authorities tried to vacate a protest site, bringing in a host of tractors and protestors from his homeland in west UP. Mega mahapanchayats, with thousands of attendees, were also organised in the region. It seemed as if the BJP's traditional support base of the Jat community in west UP was going to turn against the party.

But come March 10, and all predictions and projections of farm anger singeing BJP were found to be overstated. The areas believed to have been influenced by the farm protest went to polls mainly in the first phase, when 58 constituencies across 11 districts voted. And many of these constituencies elected the BJP.

Even Nighasan in Lakhimpur Kheri district, where 8 farmers were run over allegedly by Union minister Ajay Mishra's son, the people voted for the BJP.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had allied with the Rashtriya Lok Dal, headed by Jayant Chaudhary, to gain an advantage in this region. It was apparently a strategy to combine the Muslim vote-bank of SP, and Jat support base of the RLD, to wipe the BJP out.

Apart from the farm law anger, issues like inordinate delays in payment of sugarcane dues were expected to work in the Opposition's favour.

Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav, who participated in the farm law protest and also campaigned against the BJP in UP, said that people had chosen BJP again despite many failings during its tenure in power.