Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary says BJP will make clean sweep in UP bypolls as party has championed social harmony and developmental politics while the Opposition has a history of dividing society along lines of caste, region, and language
Expressing confidence that the BJP will win all the nine Uttar Pradesh assembly seats slated to go to the bypolls on November 20, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) U.P. unit chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary attributed this optimism to voters seeing through the Opposition’s propaganda.
This propaganda had negatively impacted the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said in an exclusive interview to Hindustan Times as he talked about a range of issues, from the upcoming by-elections to the organisational polls. He also expressed confidence that the BJP will form the government in Uttar Pradesh for a third consecutive term in 2027.
He emphasised that the BJP championed social harmony and developmental politics, in contrast to the Opposition, which he accused of having a history of dividing society along lines of caste, region, and language.
Referring to the slogans of chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chaudhary, he remarked that the essence of Adityanath’s “batenge toh katenge” (divide and be destroyed) and Modi’s “ek rahoge, safe rahoge” (unite and stay safe) was fundamentally the same.
On BJP’s internal elections, Chaudhary revealed that the process to elect new national and state presidents was likely to conclude by the end of January 2025. Excerpts:
Q: With the by-polls for nine assembly seats just days away, how confident is the BJP after the setback it suffered in the Lok Sabha elections nearly six months ago?
A : The situation in the state has significantly changed compared to six months ago. Back then, voters were influenced by the Opposition’s negative and divisive agenda, which focused on caste-based politics. However, these parties and their false claims—such as alleging that the BJP would alter the Constitution if re-elected at the Centre—have now been exposed. In contrast, people are resonating with our vision of social harmony, ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ and inclusive development. This shift gives us confidence that the BJP will secure a clean sweep in the by-polls.
Q: You claim the BJP is promoting social harmony, but Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused your party of practising a ‘divide and rule’ policy. He cites chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s slogan, “batenge toh katenge”, as an example of the BJP’s alleged negative politics. How do you respond to this?
A : Everybody knows who is pursuing a negative and divisive agenda that was seen in full play during the Lok Sabha polls. Be it the SP or the Congress or other Opposition parties, they have a history of harming the country by dividing people on the lines of caste, region and language. They discriminate among people on the basis of religion. On the other hand, our party and our governments genuinely believe in the ‘sabka sath sabka vikas’ philosophy as propounded by our PM Naredra Modi. We are giving benefits of all government welfare schemes without any discrimination.
As for the CM’s “batenge toh katenge slogan”, there is nothing wrong with it. This is only a call for the unity of the society because history tells us that India became weak and was enslaved whenever people were divided.
Q: Prime Minister Modi has introduced a different slogan, “ek rahoge, safe rahoge.” What is your thought?
A : The PM is our supreme leader and his message is absolutely correct. I also endorse this slogan. However, let me clarify that the essence of both the slogans is fundamentally the same: promoting the unity of people, irrespective of their caste, religion, region and language.
Q: The Opposition, especially Akhilesh Yadav, has also raised questions on the rescheduling of the bypoll date in UP, alleging that the BJP got this done due to the fear of defeat. How do you react?
A : There is not even an iota of truth in this allegation. Some political parties, including ours, told the Election Commission that many residents travel days in advance for ‘Kartik Purnima’ celebrations, raising concerns about reduced voter presence on the original polling date. Kartik Purnima is a big festival, especially in western UP. We are happy that the commission saw the merit in our apprehension and rescheduled the voting date.
Q: Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s often repeated remark “party organisation is always bigger than the government” has also drawn a lot of public attention with different interpretations. As a chief of the party organisation in UP, do you agree with this view?
A : It is because of the strength of the organisation and the hard work by the party workers that have been in power at the Centre for the last more than 10 years and formed the government in UP for two consecutive terms. Our governments have successfully implemented the agenda decided by the party.
Q: How do you see the BJP’s prospects in UP in 2027?
A : We will form the government in the state for the third consecutive term in 2027. There is no doubt about it. The outcome of the recent assembly results where the BJP has formed the government for the third time in a row, despite all the negative campaign by the Opposition, only lends more credence to our confidence. The SP-Congress alliance is already in tatters and will disappear by 2027.
Q: How long it may take for the party’s organisational polls to complete?
A : Our recent membership drive has enrolled 2.50 crore members in the state and we expect more than 1.25 crore of them to become active members by November 25. We have a meeting in Delhi next week to decide on the election for mandal, district, state and national levels. We hope the process for the election of the state presidents and the national presidents will be completed by the end of January 2025.
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