UP: Urban voters returning to rural rolls leave BJP scrambling
What's the story
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces a peculiar challenge in Uttar Pradesh as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls nears completion. According to Moneycontrol, a large number of urban voters are opting to shift their registration to their native villages, a phenomenon that could affect the party's electoral base for the upcoming Assembly elections in 2027. Traditionally, urban voters have low turnout on polling day and may not travel long distances from their villages to cast their vote.
Voter migration
Urban voters' shift could impact BJP's electoral base
Reports suggest that the submission of enumeration forms in major urban constituencies is significantly low. Thousands of city residents with ancestral land in rural areas are opting to shift their voter registration due to fears over land ownership complications. A senior BJP leader in Lucknow told The Indian Express that people with properties within 20-200km are keen on shifting their votes to village addresses.
Party response
BJP leaders scramble to address voter registration shift
The BJP is worried that urban voters are likely to have low turnout on polling day and may not travel long distances from their villages to vote. In Lucknow alone, the party estimates 10-12% of the electorate could shift out, translating to over 2.6 lakh voters across Lok Sabha seats in the district. In Prayagraj, nearly two lakh voters have opted to move their registrations back to their villages, while over 41,000 are estimated in Ayodhya (Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency).
Party strategy
BJP leaders hold meetings to address voter registration shift
Defence Minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh has reportedly spoken to state BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary about the issue, while party president JP Nadda has sought regular updates from state leaders. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath moved quickly, directing all MPs and MLAs to prioritize SIR coordination. Since then, the BJP's entire top brass, including Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, state president Bhupendra Chaudhary, and organization general secretary Dharampal Singh, have been holding marathon meetings across the state.
Electoral impact
BJP's urban stronghold at stake in upcoming elections
The political stakes for the BJP are high as urban UP has been its backbone across election cycles. Even in 2024, when the party's Lok Sabha tally fell from 62 to 33, it still won 12 of the state's 17 urban seats. In the 2022 Assembly election, the BJP won 65 out of 86 urban segments and swept all mayoral posts in municipal polls.