The Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to make “lawlessness” and governance a major theme of its campaign in Uttar Pradesh as it prepares for the upcoming Assembly elections. Party leaders are looking to replicate the strategy used in Bihar, where memories of the opposition’s previous rule were used to highlight the BJP-led government’s governance record.
The BJP faces anti-incumbency in Uttar Pradesh and the challenge of maintaining support across different caste groups. According to party leaders, the campaign will seek to remind voters of what they describe as the “lawlessness and breakdown of administration” during the Samajwadi Party’s rule before 2017.
The BJP won 312 of Uttar Pradesh’s 403 Assembly seats in 2017, but its tally dropped to 255 in the 2022 elections. The party also suffered a major setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, winning 33 seats in the state compared with 62 in 2019 and 71 in 2014. The Samajwadi Party won 37 Lok Sabha seats in 2024.
Party leaders believe that highlighting governance and law-and-order issues could help consolidate voters across caste groups. The BJP is also focusing on addressing dissatisfaction among upper-caste communities over issues including reservations, rising food and fuel prices, employment concerns and representation in political and government positions.
At the same time, the party plans a wider outreach to different social groups. Uttar Pradesh has a large OBC population, while Scheduled Castes and upper-caste communities also form significant sections of the electorate. The BJP hopes to strengthen its social engineering strategy by increasing representation for different caste groups.
The party also faces challenges on issues raised by its political opponents. The Samajwadi Party and Congress have been highlighting paper leaks, unemployment and economic concerns, particularly among younger voters.
Over the coming weeks, BJP workers and volunteers are expected to intensify grassroots activity. Teams will identify booths where the party is facing difficulties and work on strengthening its organisational presence.
The party is also expected to sharpen its outreach towards four key groups identified under the PM Modi-Yuva, Kisan, Mahila and Dalit framework.
With the election battle expected to intensify, the BJP’s strategy will combine its governance record, law-and-order narrative and caste-based outreach in an effort to counter anti-incumbency and retain power in Uttar Pradesh.
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