By Satya Prakash
Assembly elections are expected in Uttar Pradesh in February-March 2027, with elections for all 403 seats in the state assembly. The frustration of the Bahujan Samaj Party, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, and the Congress party has signaled a turning point in Uttar Pradesh’s politics. The current Chief Minister of the state, Yogi Adityanath, is actively engaged in pre-election preparations, and the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies have put all their efforts into planning. Samajwadi Party leaders and workers are also visible on the ground.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has clearly stated that the party will contest the 2027 assembly elections on its own and repeat its historic victory of 2007. Ms. Mayawati has served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh four times. Announcing the BSP’s upcoming strategy, Mayawati stated that the Bahujan Samaj Party will contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections alone. There will be no electoral alliance with any party in the 2027 state assembly elections. He claimed that just as the BSP formed a government with a full majority on its own in 2007, the BSP will form a government with a full majority on its own in Uttar Pradesh in 2027.
Meanwhile, after demonstrating his strength in Bihar, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi has also announced his intention to contest the Uttar Pradesh elections and form alliances with other parties. In preparation for the Uttar Pradesh elections, the Congress has inducted former state minister and Muslim leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui into the party. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also told one of his MPs from Uttar Pradesh that there is a need to be cautious of “Hyderabadi (Owaisi)”. It is worth noting that Mr. Owaisi is originally from Hyderabad.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is also busy adjusting its political alignment in Uttar Pradesh. Given the party’s performance in the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s top leadership is proceeding cautiously. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat held a meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the two Deputy Chief Ministers, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, which is being seen as a blueprint for assembly election preparations and social coordination. The Chief Minister carried out extensive transfers of administrative and police officers in the state in January, which is also seen as a precursor to the election preparations. The BJP is working with its allies in the state: Anupriya Patel’s Apna Dal (Sonelal), Sanjay Nishad’s Nishad Party, Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal, and Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party.
The Samajwadi Party and Congress are preparing to corner the BJP through an alliance. Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and Congress’s state leader, Ajay Rai, are working tirelessly to unite the allies. Babu Singh Kushwaha’s Jan Adhikar Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar) are expected to join this alliance. Furthermore, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, the Aam Aadmi Party, Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), Krishna Patel’s Apna Dal (kamerawadi), Swami Prasad Maurya’s Janata Party, and Raghuraj Pratap Singh’s Jansatta Dal (Democratic) are poised to show their strength in the electoral arena.
The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly determines the direction and fate of the Lok Sabha elections. The state has 80 Lok Sabha seats. Therefore, winning the Assembly elections and forming a government is considered crucial. The political party holding power in this state is naturally considered to have an upper hand in Parliament. It wins more seats in the Rajya Sabha and outperforms other parties in the Lok Sabha elections.
(The writer is a senior journalist and can be reached at Mob: 9968289271; email: [email protected])
