UP Assembly polls 2027: BJP, Samajwadi Party make early moves as political battle heats up

New Delhi: The Assembly elections are still a year away, but politics in Uttar Pradesh is already heating up. For the BJP, a victory in UP is crucial and more than symbolic. For the Samajwadi Party, the 2027 polls are a battle of survival and revival. As a result, both major parties have begun making early moves in the state.

On January 25, BJP national president Nitin Nabin made his first visit to UP, travelling to the temple town of Mathura. Nabin praised the Yogi government and attacked the Opposition, while urging party workers to start preparing for next year's Assembly elections.

A day earlier, Union home minister Amit Shah was in Lucknow to address the 'UP Diwas' programme. Shah appealed to the people of the state to reject dynastic parties such as the SP, BSP and Congress and to place their faith in the BJP for a third consecutive term in the 2027 Assembly elections.


Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is not far behind. On January 20, Yadav convened a meeting of all 37 MPs of the party in Lucknow to review the ground situation and assign responsibilities. "37 Jitayenge 27" (37 MPs will ensure victory in the 2027 Assembly elections), Yadav wrote in a Facebook post after the meeting.

With UP being a crucial battleground for all parties, there are multiple reasons for this early mobilisation. Apart from national issues, the state has no shortage of local political flashpoints. A recent meeting of BJP Brahmin MLAs triggered controversy, forcing the new state president Pankaj Choudhary to issue a notice advising against caste-based meetings in the future.

Soon after, a controversy involving Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand surfaced, escalating into a confrontation between the religious leader and the state government.

Over the past two days, protests have also been reported from different parts of the state over the new UGC rules aimed at preventing caste discrimination on campuses. The protests were largely led by upper-caste groups. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan moved quickly to assure protesters that no injustice would be done to any community.