BJP's newly appointed national president Nitin Navin opened his campaign for next year's Uttar Pradesh assembly election with an elaborate roadshow through Lucknow on Saturday, the first day of a two day organisational visit to the state capital. The 18 kilometre procession from the airport to the state BJP headquarters began at 11:20 am and ended at 1:55 pm, with cadres lining the entire stretch to shower him with flowers and garlands amid continuous sloganeering.
With next year's Uttar Pradesh assembly election shaping up as a defining test, the Bharatiya Janata Party has thrown its full organisational weight behind the state, and Saturday's proceedings were the clearest sign of that effort yet. This was also Nitin Navin's first visit to Uttar Pradesh since the formation of the new state unit, and it was being viewed inside the party as unusually significant and strategic. From Saturday morning until late at night, a packed schedule of marathon meetings and religious rituals made it evident that BJP is in no mood to let its guard down in the fight to retain power in Uttar Pradesh next year.
A ceremonial welcome at Amausi Airport
Nitin Navin landed at Amausi Airport around 11:00 am to a charged atmosphere. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary received him with bouquets, and both deputy chief ministers, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, were present at the airport as well. Visible chemistry between Nitin Navin and Pankaj Chaudhary stood out through the reception.
Flowers, drums and a sword along an 18 kilometre route
The moment Nitin Navin's convoy left the airport, it turned into a sprawling roadshow. On the way to the state BJP headquarters, workers showered petals on him at close to 40 spots, including Alambagh, T.N. Chaturvedi Chauraha, Charbagh, Deendayal Smritika, Maharana Pratap Chauraha and Burlington Chauraha. Various social, trade and youth organisations greeted the national president with dhol and nagada drums. At one point while greeting supporters, Nitin Navin waved a sword. Large numbers of Muslim women in burqas and Muslim men wearing caps also joined the procession, and BJP workers used a bulldozer to place a giant 25 foot garland around him.
A blunt message inside the party office
After the roadshow, Nitin Navin went straight to the state BJP office on Vidhan Sabha Marg. There, in the presence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath and state president Pankaj Chaudhary, he held a high profile organisational meeting with state office bearers, regional presidents, morcha chiefs and district presidents. He told them plainly that preparations for 2027 must begin immediately. The national president instructed every office bearer to reach down to booth level, carry government welfare schemes to the public and strengthen the party's social engineering.
Prayers at Hanuman Setu Temple
After the first round of organisational meetings, Nitin Navin arrived at the well known Shri Hanuman Setu Temple in Lucknow's old Hyderabad locality at exactly 4:00 pm, accompanied again by Yogi Adityanath and Pankaj Chaudhary. He performed a full ritual worship and aarti of Bajrangbali with proper Vedic rites, seeking blessings for the prosperity of Uttar Pradesh and for the party's victory in the political contests that lie ahead.
What the day signals for 2027
Taken together, the day made clear that BJP has fully reactivated its electoral machinery in Uttar Pradesh. Ahead of a Sunday meeting with NDA allies, Apna Dal, Nishad Party, Subhaspa and RLD leaders, Nitin Navin had already signalled that the 2027 election would be fought with complete coordination among partners. By sharing the stage and closed door meetings with chief minister Yogi Adityanath, state president Pankaj Chaudhary and both deputy chief ministers, the national president sent out the message that all is well within Uttar Pradesh BJP and that the entire party is working under one command. On the second day of the visit, a Shakti Kendra convenor conference and a tea time discussion at a booth president's home are planned, through which the top leadership is looking to directly recharge workers at the very last rung of the organisation.
