The outcome of elections to 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats (graduates and teachers’ constituencies) has come as a cause of concern for the ruling BJP ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.
Though the BJP’s final tally matches its previous victories in six seats in 2020, the Samajwadi Party clearly gained by winning an additional seat and leading in another. Because the constituency includes the chief minister’s home turf and Faizabad is the region that has been the hot spot of Hindutva, the SP’s victory in the Agra teachers’ constituency has added to the BJP’s concerns, while the close contest in Gorakhpur-Faizabad has drawn attention. The BJP’s rebel candidate there gave a neck-and-neck fight to the BJP’s official candidate amid objections over the counting process.
These results, he said, drew a line of worry before 2027. The meeting assumes significance in the context of the party’s preparations for the 2027 assembly elections and the need to assess its organisational readiness and electoral strategy. Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak said the party would analyse the results and review the constituencies where it had lost, while asserting that the BJP would return to power with a massive majority in 2027.
their outcome may send a bigger political message when both the BJP and the SP prepare for a fierce fight only a few months later While these were small elections in terms of the electorate size. The fact that these elections involved educated and largely urban voters, mostly seen as the BJP supporters, make the results even more significant for the ruling party. The BJP’s defeat to the SP in both the Varanasi teachers’ and graduate constituencies, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency is being seen as a setback for the party. The MLC polls outcome may emerge as an important issue during the high-profile meeting.
“Given the amount of effort the party put in, with senior leaders from the organisation and government campaigning, review meetings being held and the cadre mobilised, the results are disappointing to say the least, “ a senior BJP leader admitted. He said the advantage of being in power and announcing policy initiatives during the campaign also did not translate into the expected outcome.
The results come days before the BJP’s state working committee meeting in Lucknow, which Union home minister Amit Shah is expected to attend.
