Lucknow, Oct 29 — Uttar Pradesh Congress President, Aradhana 'Mona' Misra, on Thursday said that the public's mandate in the MLC elections is "against" the BJP, calling the results a "semi-final for 2027".
The Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party received a significant boost ahead of the crucial Assembly elections after winning five of the 11 Legislative Council seats contested in the latest round of polls.
The BJP secured the remaining six seats. While the BJP managed to retain its pre-election tally, the SP improved its position by adding two seats to its previous strength.
One of the most notable outcomes came from Varanasi, where the Samajwadi Party won both the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies.
The result has drawn particular attention because Varanasi is the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to IANS, Misra said, "The Prime Minister's Lok Sabha constituency is Varanasi, where the BJP has suffered a major defeat in the MLC elections. This is a mandate against the BJP."
Stressing that the mandate in UP is "against the BJP", Misra said, "Graduates' and Teachers' constituency voters are troubled by unemployment and job losses. Issues such as unemployment, inflation, law and order, farmers' problems and atrocities against women have influenced voters. A strong mandate against the BJP has emerged in the MLC elections. I would say this is the semi-final for 2027."
Earlier, SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand, speaking to IANS, said the results demonstrated that the BJP faced difficulties when elections were conducted through ballot papers. He also alleged that the ruling party had attempted to influence the process at certain places.
"In Uttar Pradesh, when elections were held through ballot papers, the BJP lost. The BJP also slowed down the voting process in ballot paper elections and, in some places, its workers misused the administration to influence certain seats through their arbitrary actions. They tried to stop the Varanasi results; however, they were not able to stop the public from expressing their stand," Chand said.
Taking aim at the BJP over its response to the election results, the SP spokesperson said the party should explain its defeat in Varanasi rather than seeking political satisfaction from the Congress' setbacks elsewhere.
"The BJP, which is trying to find happiness in the Congress' sorrow, will not answer questions about how it lost in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi. Those who want to find happiness in others' sorrow can do so. However, this is what is on the public's mind. This is just a reflection of what will happen in the 2027 Assembly elections," he added.