Lucknow: BJP national general secretary and party’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Vinod Tawde reiterated, on Friday, that the 2027 Assembly election would be fought with Yogi Adityanath as the party's face. Speaking at the BJP's state executive meeting in Lucknow, he said: "Today, Home Minister Amit Shah repeatedly praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Those who are wise will understand the indication."
Speaking about the party’s target, Tawde made it clear that the mistake of the slogan 'Abki Baar 400 Paar' would not be repeated in UP Assembly election. He reminded party workers that they have to win 312 seats in the 2027 election, just as they did in 2017. He assured them that he would continue meeting party workers, engage in dialogue with them and find solutions to every problem.
On the alleged discontent among upper-caste voters over UGC issue, Vinod Tawde said that the party would reach out to its voters, engage in direct dialogue with them and explain the matter to them. Tawde said; "It is extremely important to tell the people that if the BJP does not form the government in the state, conditions will return to the same as they were before 2017."
"When you speak to a worker, he says that everything is fine, but... this 'but' is what is ruining everything. If half the glass is empty, we should not say that; instead, we must send the message that we will now fill the glass," he said.
Referring to the crackdown on crime, Tawde added; "The Congress government had kept Mukhtar Ansari safe in a Punjab jail, but our government fought the matter all the way to the Supreme Court and brought him to a jail in Uttar Pradesh, where he had to live as a prisoner. Houses for the poor are now being built on land seized from mafias such as Atiq Ahmad and Mukhtar Ansari."
On ticket distribution and the ambitions of party workers, Tawde said that there was nothing wrong with wanting to contest the election, but the state had only 403 seats. Some people would get tickets, those, who fail to get, would not work against the party.
Tawde also issued a stern warning, saying that no one would get a ticket through flattering a leader or using money; tickets would be awarded solely on the basis of work.
Tawde said, "I have not come only for the elections; I will remain in-charge of Uttar Pradesh for the next three years. I will leave Uttar Pradesh only after fulfilling the promise made to any worker who does the work. You can ask workers in Bihar, Maharashtra and Haryana about me."
Speaking about the role of social media, Uttar Pradesh in-charge Vinod Tawde acknowledged that the BJP had become sluggish on this front. "The Opposition now understands the power of social media. In 2014, we were ahead of everyone on social media, and at the time Lalu Yadav used to ask what difference it made. But today in Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav has more followers than Nitish Kumar. Our social media presence has weakened somewhat; we do not even like or repost the prime minister's and chief minister's posts. Everyone will have to become active on social media because our schemes are not just about development – they are changing people's lives."