Several parties have already announced their candidates for next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, but the BJP has so far kept its choices under wraps.

The BJP’s reasoning

Some observers and rival politicians believe the delay hands an advantage to the BJP’s opponents. The party, however, says it is not concerned. It argues that by revealing its plans only at the last moment it can judge how strong or weak each rival candidate is and then pick the best person to take each of them on, an approach described as “man-to-man marking”.

Understanding UP

The debate has also turned to whether the BJP should name a chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh, and to the state’s political circumstances. An analysis of vote shares across the last six Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in the state was used to show how much each group’s support has swung and how far parties rely on particular sections of voters. It was not meant to indicate likely vote shares in 2017.

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 Vidhan Sabha members.

Originally published on 22 September 2016. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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