BJP turns to leaders from rival parties to find winnable candidates in UP
The BJP has drawn roughly 100 former MPs, MLAs and other figures away from its rivals in Uttar Pradesh, most of them from backward classes, and intends to field them in seats where it has historically been weak.
Why the party is looking outside
A BJP general secretary described the search for winnable candidates as a legitimate election strategy, saying the party lacked strong contenders in most seats. The party’s record in the state’s 2012 election explains the concern: it fielded 398 candidates, 229 of them, about 58%, lost their deposits, only 47 won and the party’s vote share was just 15%.
The 2014 Lok Sabha election was a different story, with the BJP winning 71 of the 78 seats it contested, a result credited to a wave in favour of Narendra Modi. But the party has no state-level face, and by the time Uttar Pradesh votes, Modi will have been in office at the Centre for nearly three years.
Lessons from Bihar
Although the surgical strike on terror launch pads beyond the de facto border with Pakistan, along with demonetisation, has created a favourable mood, party strategists believe they need candidates able to win on their own. They are keen not to repeat the Bihar experience, where the BJP relied on an intense campaign by the Prime Minister to make up for weak candidates and lost to the grand alliance led by Nitish Kumar. In that state, after more than 15 years in power alongside the JD(U), the BJP had little presence in many areas controlled by its partner.
Another BJP leader in Delhi said the party had been more careful in UP and was promoting local leaders through its Parivartan Yatra. That is why senior central leaders have so far stayed away from the yatra, which is being used to put prospective candidates in the spotlight; star campaigners are expected to join later.
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: Bharatiya Janata Party and Uttar Pradesh assembly members
Originally published on 13 December 2016. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.
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