Ahead of Uttar Pradesh's 2027 assembly elections, the BJP has begun laying its ground game early. Vinod Tawde, the party's newly appointed Uttar Pradesh in-charge and national general secretary, travelled to Lucknow to chalk out the road ahead and lay out a counter to the opposition's political slogans.
Tawde Turns PDA Into A Jibe At Akhilesh
In Lucknow, Vinod Tawde took direct aim at Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party's much talked about PDA slogan. He said the real meaning of PDA was 'paraya dhan apna', meaning taking over what belongs to someone else. Tawde said in no uncertain terms that the NDA alliance would not let this political manoeuvre by the SP, of cornering others' rightful share, succeed. Earlier, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief OP Rajbhar had also offered his own twist on PDA, calling it a marker of defeat, using P, D and A for the first, second and next loss. Together, the remarks show how the BJP and its allies are repeatedly targeting the SP's slogan and looking for their own way to blunt it.
BJP's 4C Strategy For The 2027 Battle
Vinod Tawde's two day visit to Lucknow was not limited to sharp comments. The bulk of his time went into strengthening the organisation and building a concrete strategy for the 2027 electoral contest. The BJP has put together a plan called 4C for this mission. Tawde made it clear in Lucknow that the work ahead would be driven by teamwork rather than promoting any single leader. The party wants to connect young workers to the organisation right down to the booth level, to build a stronger grassroots presence.
Coordination, Cadre, Caste And Candidature In Focus
The BJP's 4C plan rests on four pillars, coordination, cadre, caste and candidature. The party will pay special attention to around 100 assembly constituencies where its performance fell short of expectations in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In these seats, the effort will include rebuilding the organisation from scratch, finalising the right candidates and getting the caste arithmetic right.
What Happened In 2017, When SP And Congress Fought Together
The 2017 assembly election numbers, from when the SP and Congress had contested in alliance, remain relevant ahead of 2027.
- BJP: contested 384 seats, won 312, with a vote share of 40%.
- SP: contested 311 seats, won 47, with a vote share of 22%.
- Congress: contested 114 seats, won 7, with a vote share of 6.25%.
- BSP: contested 403 seats, won 19, with a vote share of 22%.
- Apna Dal (S): contested 11 seats, won 9, with a vote share of 1%.
- RLD: contested 277 seats, won 1, with a vote share of 1.78%.
CM Yogi Also Targets Akhilesh
Vinod Tawde is not the only one preparing for mission 2027, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also stepped up his attacks on Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party. Yogi recently targeted Akhilesh Yadav over spending on education versus the Saifai Mahotsav. He said that if even a small part of the money spent on the Saifai Mahotsav had gone into education instead, it would have shaped the futures of lakhs of children. CM Yogi also took a dig, saying Akhilesh Yadav used to get a buggy flown in from Birmingham for his birthday. The remarks make clear that the BJP is targeting the SP not just organisationally, but also on the messaging front.
