BJP Shifts into UP Poll Mode: Nitin Nabin Sounds Out MPs, Surveys Begin for Candidates

The battle for Uttar Pradesh has begun well before the first vote is cast.

The BJP is stepping up preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections, launching surveys across constituencies while national president Nitin Nabin holds one-on-one meetings with the party’s MPs to find out what the numbers alone cannot reveal: what is happening on the ground?

More than 25 BJP MPs from Uttar Pradesh have met Nabin so far, according to sources, with the conversations focused on public sentiment, local issues, organisational preparedness and the party's strength across their respective Lok Sabha constituencies.

The exercise gives the BJP leadership an early constituency-by-constituency assessment as it begins shaping its electoral strategy for India's most politically consequential state.

Surveys begin, candidates under the scanner

Parallel to the consultations, the BJP has begun surveys to assess potential candidates and its position across different Assembly constituencies.

The surveys are looking at three crucial elements: the strength of the party organisation, the viability of prospective candidates and the local issues capable of shaping voter behaviour. The findings could eventually feed into candidate selection, while also helping the BJP identify constituencies where its booth-level machinery needs strengthening. The strategy indicates the party is attempting to build its campaign from the ground up rather than wait until closer to polling.

Nitin Nabin wants the view from the ground

The meetings with MPs are another part of that feedback loop.

MPs are being asked to provide assessments of their Lok Sabha constituencies, including voter sentiment towards the BJP, organisational gaps and issues that could become electoral flashpoints. With more than 25 MPs already consulted, the leadership is assembling a broader political map of the state before taking crucial campaign and candidate decisions.

The BJP enters the next contest with a formidable benchmark to defend. In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, it won 255 of the state's 403 seats with a 41.29% vote share, becoming the first party in 37 years to return to power in Uttar Pradesh after completing a full five-year term.

Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party emerged as its principal challenger, winning 111 seats with 32.06% of the vote. The BSP was reduced to just one seat, while Congress won two. BJP ally Apna Dal (Soneylal) secured 12 seats, while the RLD won eight, SBSP six and NISHAD Party six.

Those numbers made 2022 a convincing BJP victory. The coming election presents a different challenge: defending that dominance after another full term in India's biggest electoral battleground. And the BJP clearly isn't waiting for the campaign to officially begin.

(With inputs from ANI)