Inside BJP's UP Strategy To Counter Akhilesh Yadav's 'PDA' Push

The BJP believes the Samajwadi Party's (SP) strategy for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election will revolve around caste-based politics. The same trick won't work for the SP again, they add.

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  • The BJP believes the Samajwadi Party's (SP) strategy for the 2027 polls will revolve around caste politics
  • The party says Akhilesh Yadav's strategy won't work in UP polls this time
  • The BJP wants its core vote base united

How will the BJP address the youth vote in Uttar Pradesh?
New Delhi:

Once bitten, twice shy. Offsetting Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's PDA (Backwards, Dalit, and Minority) push -- which helped the INDIA bloc win more seats than the National Democratic Alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh -- is the Bharatiya Janata Party's key priority as it draws up plans for the upcoming UP assembly polls.

The BJP believes the Samajwadi Party's (SP) strategy for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election will revolve around caste-based politics. The same trick won't work for the SP again, they add.

In 2024, the SP gave a substantial chunk of tickets to the Kurmi community to secure their votes, swaying their support from the BJP. Similarly, the SP-Congress alliance also received votes from the Pasi community, a Scheduled Caste (SC) community. 

Non-Jatav SC voters also saw that Mayawati's BSP was not contesting the elections strongly. However, due to the opposition's propaganda claiming the BJP would abolish reservations, they turned their backs on the ruling party.

The BJP intends to offset these trends by making appropriate poll-aligned appointments. Pankaj Chaudhary, who hails from the Kurmi community, has been appointed state president. A large number of tickets will be given to Kurmi and other non-Yadav Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities in the assembly elections.

Also read: Congress vs Samajwadi Party In Lok Sabha? Akhilesh Yadav Clarifies

The BJP is also eyeing non-Jatav votes, and the Yogi Adityanath government has taken several major steps to achieve this.

The party is following developments linked to the potential alliance between Asaduddin Owaisi and Chandrashekhar. It believes that if this alliance materialises, it could help the BJP turn the elections into a triangular contest to its benefit.

The Samajwadi Party has raised another major issue: the theft of offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Initially, the BJP was under pressure over this. However, the way Pappu Yadav disguised himself as a priest and performed a charade in the Parliament complex, with SP and Congress MPs participating, has shifted the atmosphere in the BJP's favour.

The Cockroach Janta Party's protest against the NEET paper leak in Delhi did not impact Uttar Pradesh's poll equations. The BJP says that the youth of Uttar Pradesh have faith in the Yogi government.

Despite this, the BJP is treading cautiously regarding young voters, avoiding any move that would allow the SP to corner the government.

Also read: Opinion | Social Justice, Electoral Math And Battle For UP's Upper Castes

The UGC guidelines have sparked resentment among the BJP's core vote bank in Uttar Pradesh. According to party leaders, the matter is in the Supreme Court, so any attempt to escalate it now will be unsuccessful. They believe the SP cannot raise the issue either, as it would anger its core Yadav (OBC) vote bank.

The BJP wants its core voters -- Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas -- united on its side. The party's defeat in Bankipur demonstrates that a shift or indifference of the core vote bank can be detrimental to the party.

The party's central leadership will begin its tour of Uttar Pradesh soon, to drum up support in view of the UP polls. BJP President Nitin Naveen will visit the state after August 10. Home Minister Amit Shah is also scheduled to visit all six regions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also visit Uttar Pradesh once every month as the elections approach.

Chaudhary and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have begun touring the entire state. CM Yogi is also taking direct feedback from party workers during his overnight stay.

Meanwhile, after forming his team, Chaudhary has begun appointing regional in-charges. A national-level party election in-charge is also to be appointed.

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Akhilesh Yadav, BJP, Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2026