Lucknow: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asserted that the BJP will remain in power in Uttar Pradesh for the next 30 years, expressing confidence that the party will secure a third consecutive victory in the 2027 Assembly elections.
Addressing a meeting of the BJP Uttar Pradesh executive committee in Lucknow on Friday, Shah urged party workers to begin preparations for the polls and set aside their differences, asking them to “immerse all disagreements in the Gomti river”.
Describing the BJP’s position in the state as invincible, Shah said, “The BJP is like Angad’s foot in Uttar Pradesh. Nobody can move it,” in a reference to the Ramayana. He added that the people of Uttar Pradesh were with the party and that “the saffron flag is visible across the country”.
ThePrint has learnt that Shah’s appeal for unity comes against the backdrop of the BJP’s underwhelming performance in the recent MLC elections. While the party won six of the 11 seats—one more than Samajwadi Party’s five—it had expected to win more seats. Several leaders in the party’s local units have attributed the outcome to internal differences that affected election preparations.
Shah also targeted Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, challenging them over their prospects in the upcoming elections. Citing the BJP’s electoral victories in Gujarat, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, as well as its formation of a majority government in Odisha, Shah said, “Akhilesh Babu, now it is Uttar Pradesh’s turn.”
#WATCH | Lucknow | Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "…The BJP government in UP is as firmly planted as 'Angad’s foot'—no one can dislodge it. Once again, the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to form the government here with an overwhelming majority. Our party workers need not… pic.twitter.com/ROyIB7JRSW
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2026
He also mentioned Bihar, where the BJP had, for the first time, secured the chief minister’s post with a leader from its own ranks.
Shah recalled the party’s electoral performance in Uttar Pradesh over the past decade, citing it as evidence of its organisational growth. He said that in 2014, the BJP had only 44 MLAs in the state and that party morale was low. Recalling his tenure as the party’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Shah said he had travelled to the tehsil level to strengthen the organisation.
Once the organisation was strengthened, the BJP won 73 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 general elections, securing around 41 percent of the vote, he said. The party had won 71 seats while its ally at the time, Apna Dal, won two.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the party went on to win 312 of the state’s 403 seats, polling around 40 percent of the vote, Shah added.
Urging leaders to intensify their preparations for 2027, he said, “Brace yourselves. Like Arjuna, keep your eyes fixed on the target. We have to form the government.”
Also Read: UP CEO apologises for ‘Thank God Ram didn’t kill a minority’ jibe amid voter slip row
Promises UCC if BJP returns to power
Shah also promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttar Pradesh if the BJP secured a third consecutive term in the state. “The Uniform Civil Code has been implemented in several states. Uttar Pradesh is next. Form a BJP government here, and we will implement the UCC,” he said.
Praising Yogi Adityanath, who has been Chief Minister for two consecutive terms, Shah said his government had provided firm administration and freed the state from the influence of the mafia. “I want to congratulate Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Under his leadership, the government has provided strict governance and freed Uttar Pradesh from the mafia,” he said.
Shah also invoked the 1990 police firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya during the tenure of then chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s father, to target the SP leadership. “On this day in 1990, Mulayam Singh ordered the firing on kar sevaks and Ram devotees. With what face do they talk about forming a government?” Shah asked.
He alleged that the incident would remain etched in public memory and that the SP leadership could not expect voters to forget it. “The entire water of the Saryu had turned red with the blood of Ram devotees,” he said, adding that future generations of the party’s leadership would also face voters’ judgment.
Challenges opposition over vote theft allegations
Shah also criticised Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav over their allegations of irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing them of blaming the Election Commission whenever they lost elections.
“Whenever they lose an election, they start blaming the umpire. I challenge Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav to come for a discussion on vote theft. Let a special session be convened. We are ready to answer their questions, but they will not discuss the issue in Parliament,” he said.
(Edited by Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam)
Also Read: Modi’s obsession with UP elections is blinding him to larger reality. He’s helping Rahul, CJP