By Vidya Shankar Rai
Lucknow, May 21 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections may still be far away, but the political chessboard in Uttar Pradesh has begun to unfold. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has entered election mode and begun preparing a 'report card' of its MLAs who will win in 2022.
Sources indicate that the party is assessing the MLA's grassroots presence in their constituency and their active engagement with the public. The search for new, winnable faces has been intensified to replace MLAs with whom the public is unhappy or whose aloofness has been complained about.
A senior party official said here on Thursday that, "The high command has assigned two external agencies the responsibility for the entire survey. These teams have been traveling across urban and rural areas for several days, directly interacting with people. Public opinion is being gathered on the work, behaviour, and presence of MLAs in their constituencies."
He added, "In addition, the popularity and ethnic-social influence of potential new contenders is also being assessed. The BJP wants to determine which candidate will guarantee victory in 2027."
The survey is being conducted division-wise across the state. The BJP's position is strong in most divisions, but the Moradabad division remains a cause for concern for the party.
In the 2017 elections, the BJP won 14 out of 27 seats here, which dropped to just 10 in 2022. To compensate for this loss, the party is exercising special vigilance in this division and is searching for strong candidates for each seat.
According to BJP sources, the organisation is compiling a list of potential candidates by district and region. The opinions of local MPs and the RSS will also be considered. Reports from external agencies and the organisation's list will be compared.
A senior BJP leader stated that candidates who are common in both areas and on whom consensus is reached are considered almost certain to receive a ticket. Sources indicate that the agency's report will be submitted to the party's High Command in Delhi soon.
Sources stated that this survey is not only assessing the MLAs, but also the public's sentiment regarding the Yogi government's schemes and nine years of work. The party wants to know in which areas the government's branding is strong and where there is an anti-incumbency.
The leadership believes that the grassroots feedback received now will help sharpen its strategy for 2027. There are clear indications that MLAs who prove to be lackluster in their work will be denied ticket in the next election.
It is worth noting that the BJP is not the only party in the fray. Congress has begun commissioning private agencies to compile a list of potential candidates for seats in Western Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party is also secretly shortlisting candidates through surveys.
Mayawati's BSP has already announced in-charges and potential candidates for several seats. Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party is working to poach strong leaders from other parties and bring them to its side.
Overall, all parties have begun making their own moves even before the 2027 election battle begins. Ticket calculations, caste equations, and survey reports will determine who will win power in Lucknow next time.
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