Modi says BJP will form UP government and fix the state’s problems

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his first election rally of the new year, held on Monday at the Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan, to accuse rival parties of leaving the people of Uttar Pradesh without basic necessities for more than ten years. He said this would change once the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the next state government.

The pitch to voters

Mr Modi told the crowd that good governance and development would be his party’s main priorities in the state. He also offered reassurance to residents troubled by local strongmen and land grabbers: “I promise a peaceful life to honest citizens who face threats from hooligans and the land mafia regularly.”

Thanking those who had turned up, a crowd estimated at six lakh, the Prime Minister said the size of the gathering showed the backing the BJP could expect at the coming election, adding that it was clear which way the wind was blowing.

Attack on rivals

With party president Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the state BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya beside him on the stage, Mr Modi criticised the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, saying they had failed the people of the state and particularly its farmers. In a remark aimed at one of them, he said: “One party has been trying to establish its son for the past 15 years.”

What happened next

The BJP won 312 seats in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly election, against 47 for the Samajwadi Party and 19 for the BSP. Yogi Adityanath became Chief Minister in March 2017 and began a second term in March 2022.

See also: Bharatiya Janata Party and members of the Uttar Pradesh assembly.

Originally published on 3 January 2017. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us