With a year left for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the BJP is devising its strategy to retain power in the northern state, as evidenced by the key meeting held by BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Sunday with its allies. Nabin, who met with NDA allies at Taj Hotel in Lucknow, expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would return to power in Uttar Pradesh with a thumping majority in the 2027 elections.
However, he didn’t forget to state that the party was capable of contesting elections on its own strength. "The Bharatiya Janata Party is capable of fighting elections. We will ensure that all NDA constituents continue to work together to make Uttar Pradesh an 'Uttam Pradesh'," he said.
The party is looking to replicate the 2017 success, when the ruling NDA broke all records, winning 325 seats out of 403. The BJP alone secured 312 that year. However, in 2022, due to anti-incumbency, this figure shrank to 273, while the SP alliance strengthened its position, winning 125 seats.
The party also received a major setback in the last Lok Sabha elections in the state, where its seats shrank to 33 in 2024 compared to 62 in 2019. For the same reason, the BJP is treading carefully in the state.
As per reports, there was no talk about seat sharing at the meeting, but Nabin has stressed that the mutual coordination between the BJP and the allies should be so strong. The attendees also said the BJP’s below-par performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was not discussed in the meeting.
The BJP president also held separate meetings with all four allies, starting with RLD general secretary Trilok Tyagi, who is said to have insisted on receiving “respect” from the BJP. If the allies receive respect, all parties will enthusiastically contest the elections together. RLD's followers are present throughout the state, and the party is organising events throughout the state, he reportedly told Nabin.
Nabin’s meeting with Apna Dal (S) national vice president and minister Ashish Patel also took the same lines. Patel is said to have promised that all the allies will work together across the state with better coordination, and victory is assured again.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party national president Om Prakash Rajbhar is said to have informed the BJP cheif about the party’s activities at the ground level.
Rajbhar is said to have raised the lack of political leadership void in certain castes in the state, such as Gond, Kharwar, Arkvanshi, Banjara, Pal, and Prajapati. He raised the issue of the Gond and Kharwar castes not being issued ST certificates. Rajbhar also invited the BJP president to the big events organised by the party in Azamgarh, Basti and Deoria.
Sanjay Nishad, president of the Nishad Party, also called for increased coordination with allies. He also called for increased political representation for the Nishad population. He also submitted a memorandum demanding the definition of Nishad reservation.
