Lucknow: BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Sunday stepped up the party’s outreach and coordination exercise ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, holding a series of meetings with senior BJP functionaries and NDA allies in what is being seen as the start of a broader consultation process ahead of the crucial state election due early next year.On the second day of his Lucknow visit, Nabin met six former UP BJP state presidents — Ramapati Ram Tripathi, Surya Pratap Shahi, Laxmikant Bajpai, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Swatantra Dev Singh and Bhupendra Chaudhary — in a move aimed at leveraging the organisational experience of the party’s veteran leadership as it prepares its electoral roadmap.The meeting came days after the BJP carried out a major organisational overhaul in the state and underscored the leadership’s effort to keep experienced party figures actively involved in decision-making.Maurya said that the state would further progress only if BJP’s lotus blooms for the third consecutive time. “We decided to work tirelessly under the leadership of chief minister Yogi Adityanath,” he said.Nabin later chaired a meeting with leaders of NDA constituents in Uttar Pradesh, including Apna Dal (S), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), NISHAD Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). Among those present were RLD national general secretary (organisation) Trilok Tyagi, NISHAD Party president Sanjay Nishad, SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and Apna Dal (S) working president Ashish Patel.Sources said Nabin heard the concerns and suggestions of alliance partners on organisational coordination, constituency-level preparations and electoral strategy. During the discussions, the BJP chief is learnt to have emphasised the importance of prioritising “winnability” in candidate selection, irrespective of internal preferences or local lobbying.By assuring allies that nominations would be guided primarily by electoral viability, Nabin sought to convey that coalition partners would remain central to the NDA’s strategy, provided they contributed to the alliance’s overall electoral prospects, sources said.Political observers said the emphasis on winnable candidates was significant as it indicated the BJP’s intent to rely heavily on electoral data, organisational feedback and caste calculations while finalising seat-sharing and ticket distribution. The approach, they said, could help minimise friction within the alliance and maximise the NDA’s chances in the polls.Patel told reporters that the meeting was part of a larger consultative process to bolster the electoral prospects of the NDA in 2027 state polls. Rajbhar said that the idea was to ensure that the NDA registers a bigger victory than the one in 2017.The consultations also highlighted the BJP’s effort to project a united front well before the election campaign gathers momentum. The participation of NDA allies suggested that the party has begun early discussions on alliance management, a factor that has played an important role in its recent electoral successes.The back-to-back meetings are being viewed as part of the BJP’s wider strategy to consolidate its organisation, strengthen NDA coordination and identify the most competitive candidates well ahead of the Assembly elections due early next year.Meanwhile, Nabin paid courtesy visits to deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak at their residences. Nabin attended a `mango party’ at Pathak residence, where he was joined by CM Yogi Adityanath and state president Pankaj Chaudhary.
