The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is considering setting aside around 60 Assembly seats for its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 state elections, as it seeks to consolidate caste and regional support, sources said on Wednesday.
Under the proposed seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP could contest approximately 343 of the state's 403 Assembly constituencies, leaving the remaining seats for its four principal allies.
These include Jayant Chaudhary's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), Anupriya Patel's Apna Dal (S) and Sanjay Nishad's Nishad Party.
The proposed formula is aimed at strengthening the ruling alliance's electoral position by accommodating regional parties with established support bases among different communities.
However, the arrangement has not been finalised, and the number of seats to be allocated to each alliance partner remains undecided.
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐-๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฃ
The proposed allocation represents a significant challenge for the BJP, which must balance the electoral ambitions of its regional allies while retaining a substantial share of constituencies for its own candidates.
The party is expected to consider caste equations, regional influence and previous electoral performances while determining which constituencies could be offered to alliance partners.
The strategy also reflects the expansion of the NDA in Uttar Pradesh since the 2022 Assembly elections.
In 2022, the BJP contested 376 seats, while Apna Dal (S) and the Nishad Party contested 17 and 10 seats, respectively.
At the time, the RLD and SBSP were aligned with the Samajwadi Party. Both subsequently joined the BJP-led alliance, increasing the number of regional partners seeking representation in the 2027 elections.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP contested 384 constituencies, while Apna Dal and the SBSP fought 11 and eight seats, respectively.
The proposed allocation of around 60 seats would therefore require the BJP to accommodate a larger group of allies than in the previous two Assembly elections.
๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
Responding to reports about the proposed arrangement, BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla said the common objective of all NDA constituents was to secure a larger victory in 2027 than the alliance's performance in the 2017 Assembly elections.
He said a decisive mandate would help accelerate development in Uttar Pradesh and ensure that welfare programmes implemented by the Centre and the state government reached disadvantaged communities.
On the distribution of seats, Shukla maintained that the NDA was the appropriate platform for deciding the arrangement and that all alliance partners would work together to secure a strong majority.
He also targeted the Samajwadi Party, saying the BJP would work to defeat its principal political rival.
๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฃ'๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
The Samajwadi Party, meanwhile, claimed that the BJP's reported efforts to accommodate more alliance partners reflected growing concern within the ruling party about the forthcoming elections.
SP leader Deepak Ranjan said the BJP, which had previously projected confidence about winning elections on its own strength, was increasingly depending on regional allies.
He alleged that the ruling party had become disconnected from the public and claimed that expanding the NDA would not help it overcome anti-incumbency sentiment.
Ranjan further asserted that the consolidation of the PDA โ Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak โ communities around the Samajwadi Party would pave the way for Akhilesh Yadav's return as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.
With the Assembly elections approaching, the proposed seat-sharing formula is expected to become an important test of coordination within the NDA.
The final distribution of constituencies among the BJP and its four allies will determine whether the ruling alliance can accommodate competing political interests while presenting a united front against the Opposition in 2027.