BJP’s checklist for UP debacle: What factors is the party looking at?

How well-connected were candidates with the public? What was the impact of the Constitution and reservation issues on the campaign? Did decisions of the government, the Centre and/or the state, play a role in a loss?

These questions form part of a checklist prepared by the BJP to try and ascertain reasons for its debacle in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections.

The party’s below-par performance in the state saw its tally of seats fall from 62 in 2019 to 33 this time while its vote share declined from 49.98% to 41.37%.

The party will explore reasons why it lost so many constituencies and, except for Varanasi and Lucknow, also look into seats that it, and its allies, retained but where their victory margins dropped.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi retained Varanasi for the third straight time, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh bagged Lucknow. However, their victory margins fell.The BJP has assigned senior state leaders for the review process, instructing them to visit every Assembly segment of the Parliamentary constituency assigned to them. They have to submit their reports to the state leadership by June 25. The state leadership will then send a report to the central leadership.

During ground visits, BJP leaders will collect feedback on these points from mandal unit leaders, district office-bearers, the party’s elected public representatives, and the candidates. Besides this, the BJP leaders will also collect information about what the Opposition candidates did, such as how they campaigned and the resources they had at their disposal.

“We have to ask about the narratives set by the Opposition on various issues and also about the impact of their campaign on the Constitution and reservation,” said a BJP leader associated with the review process.

A senior party functionary said, “Such a detailed review is essential because we have to face Assembly elections in UP in three years (2027). Law and order is okay but paper leaks in recruitment exams and unemployment are matters of concern. The SP is upbeat after the Lok Sabha election. They benefitted from the flaws in our strategy and so we have to prepare in advance for the 2027 polls and bring back the voters who drifted from the BJP.”

BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary will tour Ayodhya (Faizabad constituency), a prestige battle that the party lost within months of the inauguration of the Ram temple. He will also review Amethi where former Union Minister Smriti Irani lost to Gandhi family loyalist K L Sharma.

Part state general secretary (organisation) Dharampal Singh will review Rae Bareli, another Congress bastion, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi won – he has decided to retain the seat by resigning from Wayanad.

BJP state general secretary Govind Narayan Shukla will review Saharanpur and state vice-president Dharmendra Singh will visit Muzaffarnagar, where former Union Minister Sanjeev Kumar Balyan lost. Balyan and former Sardhana MLA Sangeet Singh Som have blamed each other for the party’s defeat.

A senior BJP leader, associated with the party’s organisational affairs, said, “More than 15 days have passed since the results but no structured meeting has taken place with the state government and the RSS regarding the UP results. A general discussion occurred in Delhi last week. Once the reports of review meetings are collected from the field, the BJP will be prepared for meetings with the state government, the leaders at the central headquarters, and the RSS.”