BJP and SP intensify campaigns for UP bypolls with caste-based strategies, poster war, and ideological clashes.
New Delhi: With only three days left until the bypolls, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) are intensifying their campaigns to win over voters. These bypolls are especially crucial for BJP, as the party seeks to demonstrate its strength after a major setback in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, SP is determined to continue its strong performance, following its success in the Lok Sabha elections. In addition to these two major parties, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is also looking to gain momentum ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Nine out of ten assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh are up for bypolls after their MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha in June 2024. The polls are set for November 20, coinciding with the Maharashtra Assembly elections, with results to be announced on November 23, the same day as the Jharkhand and Maharashtra Assembly elections. Originally, the bypolls were scheduled for November 13, but the Election Commission of India rescheduled them to November 20 after national and state parties expressed concerns over low voter turnout due to festivals coinciding with the initial dates.
With the bypolls approaching, political parties in Uttar Pradesh have launched a “poster war” to attract voters. This started after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a recent rally, used the slogan “Batenge to Katenge.” Following this, various parties began publishing posters centred around this phrase in their respective constituencies. Recently, a poster by SP spokesperson Abhishek Bajpai outside the SP office read, “PDA will win; unity will win. Ali is there, Bajrangbali is there, along with PDA’s unity team, “which has created a stir among opponents. Other posters stated, “Akhilesh ka fear hai, BJP ka anth near hai” (Akhilesh brings fear, and BJP’s end is near) and “Jitna chunav taloge, utna bura haroge” (The more you delay the elections, the worse your defeat will be). In response, the BJP’s Minority Front countered with a poster saying, “SP has only one agenda: if we win, we will loot.”
In addition to the poster war, both the BJP and SP are intensifying efforts to win over voters. Candidates are tailoring their campaigns to appeal to caste sentiments while promoting party ideologies. The BJP candidate from Kundarki (Moradabad) was seen wearing a skullcap and keffiyeh, a gesture aimed at Muslim voters during a public gathering, while visuals of the BJP candidate from Khair (Aligarh) sitting with folded hands on a stage in the Jat-dominated constituency sparked reactions on social media. Meanwhile, SP candidate Naseem Solanki from Sisamau (Kanpur) drew criticism from some Muslim and Hindu clerics for praying in a temple during his campaign. Apart from this, both parties are strategically targeting specific castes and fielding candidates accordingly. In Phulpur, where Kurmi voters make up the largest voting bloc at 70,000, BJP has given a ticket to Deepak Patel, aiming to build a coalition between Kurmi and upper-caste voters. Meanwhile, Yadav voters, who number around 65,000, are also a significant factor in the constituency. To appeal to them, SP is relying on its established MY (Muslim-Yadav) formula, creating an alliance between Yadavas and Muslims. In this context, the support of Dalits and other backward castes will play a crucial role in determining the election outcome.
Furthermore, Yogi Adityanath sharply criticised the SP, twisting its PDA slogan into “Production House of Dangai and Apradhi” to imply criminal affiliations under Akhilesh Yadav’s leadership.
At a rally in Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), he remarked, “SP talks of PDA, but let me tell you what their PDA truly is. It’s the production house of Dangai (rioters) and Apradhi (criminals).”
Originally, PDA represented the unity of “Pichhde” (backwards), “Dalits,” and “Alpsankhyak” (minorities), but Yogi Adityanath redefined it as a reference to alleged criminal elements within the SP under Akhilesh Yadav’s leadership.
I.P. Singh, the national spokesperson for the Samajwadi Party (SP), said that SP is contesting the bypolls on an agenda focused on development, addressing issues the ruling party has failed to resolve, such as inflation, lack of infrastructure, and unemployment. He expressed confidence in the party’s ability to win all nine Assembly seats up for election. Singh also criticised the ruling BJP, claiming that Yogi Adityanath’s administration struggles to draw crowds to its rallies, often resorting to transporting people from various places to fill empty chairs, which he said reflects their failure.
Manish Shukla, spokesperson for the Uttar Pradesh BJP, stated that the party’s double-engine government is contesting the bypolls based on its track record and the development achieved over the past seven years. He further argued that the I.N.D.I.A bloc’s internal divisions have become apparent, pointing out that SP did not allow Congress to contest a single seat in the bypolls. Shukla also criticised Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA strategy, claiming it has failed and now only the “A” remains, which he mockingly said stands for “Apradhi” (criminals). Confident in BJP’s prospects, Shukla declared that the party and its allies would win all nine seats in the bypolls.