Political Tensions Rise as UP Prepares for Crucial By-Elections

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met BJP National General Secretary BL Santosh amid declining vote shares and upcoming by-elections in Uttar Pradesh. The meeting comes as BJP faces internal dissent and opposition challenges, with key deputy ministers absent. The by-elections could shape the 2027 state assembly elections.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met BJP National General Secretary BL Santosh in New Delhi late on Friday to discuss several organizational and governance issues in Uttar Pradesh, including the upcoming ten assembly by-elections.

This meeting occurs against the backdrop of a significant vote share decline for the BJP in key constituencies during the recent Lok Sabha elections. The BJP's tally dropped to 33 seats from 62 in 2019, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) secured 37 seats, its highest ever, and the Congress won six. The upcoming by-elections are expected to be another high-stakes contest between the NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc.

The BJP-led NDA is striving to recover from the Lok Sabha election setback, while the SP and the Congress-led INDIA bloc are seeking to strengthen their positions. The by-election outcomes will serve as an indicator for the 2027 UP assembly elections. Notably, the absence of Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak at recent meetings chaired by CM Yogi has raised eyebrows.

On July 14, CM Yogi urged party members to mobilize for the upcoming by-elections and the 2027 state elections, at a state working committee meeting. He emphasized the need to re-establish BJP dominance in the state.

Yogi highlighted that the BJP's vote share in 2024 matched previous years, but overconfidence and vote shifts affected their performance. Meanwhile, opposition leaders, rejuvenated, are becoming more active. In response to a post by Deputy CM Maurya emphasizing organizational importance over government, SP President Akhilesh Yadav challenged dissidents to form a government if they could gather 100 MLAs.

Yadav's announcement came after Maurya's post, which sparked speculation about dissent within the BJP. Maurya countered, asserting BJP's strength at both state and national levels and expressing confidence in winning the 2027 assembly polls, dismissing SP's prospects.

Maurya stated, "SP Bahadur Shri Akhilesh Yadav ji, BJP has a strong organization and government at both national and state levels; the SP's PDA is a fraud. The return of SP's hooliganism in UP is impossible, BJP will repeat 2017 in the 2027 assembly elections."

(With inputs from agencies.)