UP MLC poll results give BJP, SP ammunition to shape narrative ahead of 2027 Assembly elections

Lucknow, Oct 30 (PTI): The outcome of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections has given both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party an opportunity to shape the political narrative, with the ruling party playing up its continued political dominance in Uttar Pradesh, while the opposition citing its gains as key takeaways ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.

While the BJP won six of the 11 graduate and teachers' constituency seats, the SP increased its tally from three in 2020 to five this time, including victories in both Varanasi constituencies, giving both parties an opportunity to draw their own political conclusions from the results.

The BJP projected its victory in six seats as a sign of continued support among a section of educated voters.

"The BJP has retained its seats. Its vote share has also increased. The parties demanding ballot papers could not muster the courage to contest the elections," UP BJP chief Pankaj Chaudhary said.

However, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya acknowledged that the party had expected to win more seats and said its think tank would deliberate on the outcome.

"The BJP had expected to win more seats in the elections. We will deliberate on this. Had there been rigging, the SP would not have been able to open its account," Maurya said.

The BJP has also sought to underline that the elections were restricted to graduate and teachers' constituencies and should not be seen as a reflection of the wider electoral mood. The party maintains that the 2027 Assembly elections will be an entirely different contest, involving a much larger electorate.

"I think this election had a limited electorate. The 2027 polls will be entirely different," said BJP lawmaker and former minister Siddharth Nath Singh.

For the SP, the results have provided an opportunity to project itself as a resurgent political force and highlight the party's expanding political reach.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday invited all the winners of the MLC polls to the party office to showcase the party's performance.

Yadav also invited Dr Sanjayan Tripathi, a BJP leader from Gorakhpur who defected to the SP during the MLC polls, despite his defeat in the election.

Tripathi finished third in the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' constituency, but Yadav sought to highlight his entry into the SP as an example of local BJP leaders crossing over to the opposition party.

In Gorakhpur, BJP's Dhruv Kumar Tripathi retained the seat for a fourth consecutive term, defeating Independent candidate Rajeev Yadav by 307 votes. He secured 14,887 votes against Yadav's 14,580, while Sanjayan Tripathi polled 9,503 votes.

Despite the defeat of its candidate, the SP sought to turn the contest into a political issue. Addressing a gathering, Yadav alleged that Sanjayan Tripathi was "not allowed" to win the election.

Seated next to Yadav on the stage, Tripathi appeared overwhelmed by the welcome he received at the SP office.

The SP had even replaced its candidate at the last minute to accommodate Tripathi, a move seen as part of its outreach to disgruntled BJP leaders and an attempt to bring them into its fold.

"Except me, all here are winners of MLC polls," Tripathi said at the SP office, thanking the party leadership while lashing out at the BJP.

The SP's gains in Varanasi have also emerged as a setback for the BJP, which lost both the Graduates' and Teachers' constituencies in the prime minister's parliamentary constituency.

The Congress, an INDIA bloc ally, has also sought to project the outcome as a collective opposition victory. The party did not field candidates in any of the 11 constituencies, with its leaders maintaining that the decision was pre-planned and based on an understanding with the SP to consolidate anti-BJP votes.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Aradhana Mishra 'Mona' described the outcome as a reflection of growing public enthusiasm for the INDIA bloc ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

Her remarks have provided the opposition alliance another opportunity to present the results as an indication of its potential to challenge the BJP in the state.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the SP-Congress alliance won 43 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the BJP secured 33, strengthening expectations that the two parties could join hands again for the 2027 Assembly polls.

The BJP, meanwhile, has sought to counter the opposition's claims and maintain that it remains electorally strong.

Asked about the recent defections of leaders such as Sanjayan Tripathi and Dharmendra Kashyap, a senior BJP leader told PTI, "Wait and watch. You will see many crossing over to our side. Wait for a surprise."

The results are also expected to figure in discussions at the BJP's recent state working committee meeting, where organisational expansion, strengthening the party's reach and preparations for securing a third consecutive term in Uttar Pradesh are among the key concerns. PTI CDN MAN NB

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