Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 29 : Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders on Thursday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Uttar Pradesh MLC election results, claiming the outcome reflected public discontent with the ruling party and signalled the possibility of political change ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
SP leader Ashutosh Verma, speaking to ANI in Lucknow, said graduates and teachers had “decisively rejected” the BJP’s entire model in the MLC elections, claiming the results carried a clear message for the ruling party.
"Let me remind you of a very telling line: 'Ayodhya was just a glimpse; Mathura and Kashi were yet to come--and now, Lucknow has joined the fray.' This single line perfectly encapsulates the essence of these MLC elections," he said.
"In an election where graduates and educated teachers cast their votes, they have decisively rejected the BJP’s entire model--the Ayodhya, Kashi, Mathura, and Lucknow models alike. They have sent a clear message: if you toy with people’s sentiments and jeopardise their future, you will face the same outcome that unfolded in yesterday’s election," Verma added.
Meanwhile, SP MP Awadhesh Prasad, reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's post on the MLC election results, said the BJP had lost in Uttar Pradesh.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party has clearly lost in Uttar Pradesh. This message has gone across the entire state and the country," Prasad told ANI.
SP MP Rajeev Rai, speaking in Delhi about preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, said the party would move forward based on the outcome of the 2024 elections while taking into account the political circumstances of each state.
"We will proceed based on the results seen in Uttar Pradesh in 2024. Every state has its own unique circumstances, different political equations, different caste dynamics, and different configurations of ruling and opposition parties. One cannot compare Manipur to other states, nor can one compare Karnataka or Uttar Pradesh to anywhere else. In UP, we achieved a favourable outcome," Rai said.
He expressed hope that the national leadership of the SP and Congress would soon arrive at a decision on their political strategy.
"We hope that the national leadership of both parties (SP and Congress) will soon reach a decision, and millions of grassroots workers, like us, will hit the ground to uproot and cast aside the Bharatiya Janata Party’s arrogant regime," he added.
Earlier in the day, SP MP Dimple Yadav on Thursday claimed that the party had won five Uttar Pradesh MLC seats, describing the outcome as a foundation for political change and expressing confidence that the SP would form a full-majority government after the 2027 Assembly elections.
In a post on X, Dimple Yadav said the victory of the party's five candidates reflected the strength of the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) alliance and the trust of exploited and deprived sections of society and the youth in the SP.
She further claimed that the results had strengthened the party's prospects ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections and cleared the way for a full-majority SP government.
The MLC elections covered 11 Uttar Pradesh seats, comprising five graduate and six teachers' constituencies. The SP secured a notable victory in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency, where its candidate Lal Bihari Yadav won the Teachers' seat.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had commented on MLC election results across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka in a post on X on Wednesday.
"MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections were held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?" PM Modi wrote.