BJP denies 209 candidates list for 2027 UP Assembly polls, Yogi Adityanath says selection process yet to begin

The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dismissed reports claiming that it has shortlisted 209 candidates for the 2027 Assembly elections and forwarded their names to the party's central leadership for approval, describing the claims as "completely false, baseless, imaginary and fabricated". In a joint statement issued by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary, the party clarified that neither the state leadership nor the organisation had prepared any such list or sent it to the central leadership in Delhi. It also maintained that the formal process of selecting candidates for the Assembly elections had not yet commenced.

The party said misleading reports about the purported shortlist were creating unnecessary confusion among its workers and appealed to party functionaries and the public not to rely on unverified information. It urged them to consider only announcements made through the BJP's official channels as authentic. The clarification comes after reports earlier this week claimed that the BJP had identified 209 candidates across Uttar Pradesh's 403 Assembly constituencies and forwarded their names to the central leadership for clearance. Several reports also indicated that the BJP was considering an early candidate selection exercise to give prospective nominees sufficient time to prepare for the elections.

Pankaj Chaudhary explains BJP's candidate selection process The controversy comes amid growing political activity in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Responding to questions about the reported list during a visit to Kannauj, Chaudhary had earlier said that he was unaware of any such shortlist. He also explained that candidate selection in the BJP was not decided by any single individual but followed a multi-level organisational process involving consultations at the district, regional and state levels. According to Chaudhary, recommendations are initially collected at the district and regional levels before being examined by the state leadership, the party's core committee and election committee.

The names are subsequently forwarded to the central leadership, with the parliamentary board taking the final call on candidates. The joint statement by Yogi and Chaudhary has now sought to put an end to speculation that this exercise had already resulted in a shortlist of 209 candidates. BJP steps up preparations for 2027 electoral battle The development comes as the BJP has intensified its organisational and electoral preparations to retain power in Uttar Pradesh for a third consecutive term. The party's core leadership had held discussions in Lucknow in September on preparations for the 2027 elections, organisational strengthening and governance-related campaigns.

The meeting was attended by senior BJP functionaries, including national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, Uttar Pradesh in-charge Vinod Tawde, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, state president Pankaj Chaudhary and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, reported PTI. The BJP has also been working to strengthen its position in constituencies where it lost ground to Opposition parties, particularly the Samajwadi Party (SP), in recent electoral contests. According to The New Indian Express, the party is focusing on nearly 90 constituencies as part of its strategy to regain lost ground and counter the SP's efforts to expand its support among Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs).

The BJP's preparations are also being shaped by its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when its tally in Uttar Pradesh fell to 33 seats from 62 in 2019. The party has since stepped up booth-level mobilisation and organisational outreach across the state. The 2027 Assembly elections are expected to see the BJP face a significant challenge from the Samajwadi Party, which has been seeking to broaden its support base beyond its traditional Muslim-Yadav combination by reaching out to other backward communities and Dalits.