BJP UP executive meet: Party aims at course correction, boosting workers’ morale

The BJP’s state executive meeting here on Sunday, the first after the party’s disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha polls in the state prevented the Modi government from getting a majority on its own at the Centre, clearly aimed at underscoring the urgency to recalibrate strategies and boost morale among the cadre in view of the 2027 U.P. assembly polls as well as upcoming by-polls to 10 Vidhan Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.

The executive also sought to iron out differences in the government and the organisation over the causes of the party’s disappointing performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls in which the party could win only 33 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

Speaker after speaker, including BJP national president JP Nadda and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, sought to recharge the party cadre.

The 2024 Lok Sabha polls results were seen as an underwhelming performance vis-a-vis the party’s showing in 2014 and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and in the 2017 and 2022 assembly polls, setting off a churning as well as a veiled blame game in the government and the organisation.

Aware of the fact that the party cannot afford demoralised workers in the country’s biggest state, where any adverse results in the upcoming by-polls could help the SP-Congress alliance gain further momentum on the road to the 2027 polls, Nadda asked workers to maintain self-confidence and continue with introspection.

“In the BJP, every leader is a worker first and every worker can be a leader,” he said.

In his address, Nadda emphasised the need for unity and a collective approach to overcome the setbacks. He highlighted the importance of addressing grassroots issues and strengthening the party’s presence at the local level.

The speakers also highlighted the reasons for the BJP’s poor show in the state. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath attributed the poor results to the party workers’ overconfidence. BJP state president Bhupendra Chaudhary ascribed the party’s unexpected underperformance chiefly to the INDIA alliance’s false propaganda on the Constitution and reservation.

Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, on the other hand, also hinted at the party workers’ indifference due to their voice not being heard by the government and the administration as another important reason for the setback party suffered.

He emphasised that the organization is greater than the government, has been, and always will be.

“Doors of my residence at 7 Kalidas Marg are open for everyone. I am a worker first and then a deputy chief minister,” he said, assuring the party cadre.

There are many BJP leaders who feel that common party workers’ anger against the government and administration for ignoring them or not giving the due respect reflected in the results.

The BJP’s state executive meeting comes a week after the party’s national general Secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh conducted meetings with government and party officials to gather feedback on the Lok Sabha results.

The tone and tenor of Sunday’s executive suggests that the party would take some concrete steps to placate its workers and come out with fresh and aggressive campaigns to reach out to Dalits on the one hand and counter the INDIA bloc’s narrative on the other hand.

Political scientist SK Pandey said that the BJP, which normally remained ahead of the Opposition in terms of electoral preparedness, this time failed to read the pulse of the U.P. voters and paid the price.

“Now, through the one-day state executive the BJP has tried to put its house in order and make course corrections before upcoming by polls and 2027 assembly elections,” he said.