UP Assembly polls: How the parties measure up

As the state with highest number of Assembly seats readies for a four-cornered contest among the SP, BSP, BJP and Congress, here's a look at the highs and the lows that each of the parties are faced with.

1. Samajwadi Party (SP)

Keeping to his image of a tech-savvy, pro-development youth leader, Akhilesh has given more than 15 lakh laptops to students as he promised in the 2012 election manifesto. The move has made him popular among young voters who make up a third of the state's electorate.


However, the ongoing feud in Akhilesh's family and the suspense over the party symbol has created confusion among cadres and voters alike.

The party has also drawn flak for poor law and order. The Muzaffarnagar riots and the violence in Mathura are still fresh in the minds of voters.

2. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)

After her 2012 poll drubbing, Mayawati made a comeback in the 2015 panchayat polls by defeating the SP and the BJP.

Hyderabad University scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide and the Una Dalit flogging helped her consolidate the Dalit vote bank, quickly casting the BJP as "anti-Dalit".

But Mayawati faced a huge setback when in June 2016, her most trusted lieutenant Swami Prasad Maurya rebelled, accusing her of selling tickets to candidates. Since then, 10 MLAs and a former MP have left the BSP to join the BJP.

3. Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)

The results of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections indicated that the BJP is gaining in UP. The party still depends almost entirely on Brand Modi, and it hasn't announced a chief ministerial candidate so far. PM Modi has held seven rallies in the state as part of the Parivartan Yatra and has been trying to woo Brahmins, Dalits and OBCs.

However, working against it this time are the problems being faced by people due to demonetisation and also the fact that promises made by the BJP during the 2014 elections are yet to manifest.

4. Congress

The Congress drew people's attention for promising to waive farm loans, halve rural electricity bills and get fixed a fair minimum support prices for crops. Vice-president Rahul Gandhi's month-long Kisan Yatra not only grabbed headlines for its stolen 'khats' and quotable quotes against the PM, but also saw more than two crore farmers signing the Congress party's 'Kisan Maang Patra', to demand loan waivers.

More recently, the narrative within Congress has shifted to talk of a likely political alliance with the SP. Following a quiet meeting between chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Vadra, a tie-up looks likely.