UP BJP unit blames bureaucratic overreach for LS debacle in state

The report has stated that only a third of the Dalits voted for the BJP. It said that the decline in the BSP's vote share benefitted the INDIA bloc, which in UP comprised the SP and the Congress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday visited the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters where he met party workers and senior leadership to thank them for their contributions to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) forming a third successive government at the Centre.

The PM’s visit to the party’s national headquarters came amid the continuing turf battles between the BJP’s state leaders in Uttar Pradesh. Modi, along with BJP chief J P Nadda, have met some of these leaders. The party is keen to put its house in order in UP to put up a better performance in the forthcoming Assembly by-polls in the state.  

Earlier this week, UP state BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary met the PM and Nadda and submitted a report, based on the feedback of 40,000 party workers, on the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls.

The 15-page document said that there was an eight per cent decline in the BJP’s vote share across six regions in UP, and that some of the Other Backward Classes, such as Maurya and Kurmi castes, moved away from the BJP and supported the Opposition INDIA bloc candidates.

The report has stated that only a third of the Dalits voted for the BJP. It said that the decline in the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP’s) vote share benefited the INDIA bloc, which in UP comprised the Samajwadi Party and the Congress.

Chaudhary said the overreach of the bureaucracy, especially the police, hurt the BJP’s poll prospects. The report said the party did not heed party workers and its leaders made ill-timed statements on issues such as amending the Constitution.

Issues such as paper leaks, livelihood issues, and the lack of jobs also hurt the party.  

UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was also in the national capital earlier in the week and met Nadda. Leaders have complained of the working style of chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Former UP minister and BJP leader Sunil Bharala, however, has said Chaudhary should take responsibility for the BJP’s subdued performance in UP and quit his post. On Wednesday, Maurya posted on X that the party is bigger than the government. 

Adityanath has responded by entrusting 30 of the state’s ministers to ensure the BJP’s win on the 10 Assembly seats, including Karhal, Milkipur, Ghaziabad, Phulpur, and Khair.

Amid speculation of a rift in the UP BJP, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, in a cryptic post on X, seemed to be asking ruling party MLAs to switch sides to form a new government in the state. "Monsoon offer: Bring hundred, form government," the former chief minister said.

He also urged ministers, MLAs, and public representatives to respect party workers.