Uttar Pradesh, which elects 403 members to its Legislative Assembly, a far larger House than in most states, is heading towards an Assembly election in 2017, and an opinion poll suggests the BJP is gaining ground there.

The state of play

With its large population, Uttar Pradesh carries great weight in national politics. The Samajwadi Party currently runs the state government, and its five-year term is due to end in March 2017. The government has been publicising its record through advertisements as it gears up for the coming contest.

The main parties in the fray are the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress. All of them have begun campaigning and are drawing up strategies to win, and a closely fought election is expected.

What the poll indicates

The opinion poll carries good news for the BJP, indicating that the party is trending upwards in Uttar Pradesh.

Why polls matter

Ahead of any election, voters look for opinion and exit polls to see which party is popular and to gauge the public mood. Such surveys are carried out by news channels and polling companies in the areas going to the vote.

What happened next

In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election the BJP won 312 seats, the Samajwadi Party 47 and the BSP 19. Yogi Adityanath became Chief Minister.

See also: Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha members and Samajwadi Party.

Originally published on 2 August 2016. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us