Bihar parties eye UP turf, but poll gains won’t be easy

Lucknow: Despite attempts by parties based in UP and Bihar to emerge as players in each other’s political turf, past election results suggest these cross-border ambitions have produced little electoral success.The latest attempt is being made by the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), a BJP ally, which has signalled its willingness to contest all 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, if it is not accommodated in BJP-led NDA for the 2027 Assembly elections.Addressing the ‘Nav Sankalp Mahasabha’ in Varanasi earlier this week, Paswan asked party workers to expand the organisation’s footprint in UP and build a support base ahead of the 2027 state polls. His assertion is being seen as an attempt to increase the party’s bargaining power within NDA even as it seeks a foothold in a state where his party’s presence remains limitedChirag’s party, which was formed in 2021 after the split from the original Lok Jan Shakti Party, contested 21 seats in the 2022 UP elections but lost deposits on all seats while securing barely 0.01% of the votes.This was one of the lowest performances by a state party in the UP elections. At that time, LJP(RV) was not part of NDA — it joined the saffron bandwagon in 2023. Chirag, Lok Sabha MP from Bihar’s Hajipur, was later inducted into the Modi cabinet.JD(U) politician and Bihar minister Nishant Kumar, son of former CM Nitish Kumar, too, recently claimed that his party would contest UP elections as an ally of NDA. The party had contested 27 seats in the 2022 UP elections but lost deposits in 26, getting barely 0.4% of the votes.These two Bihar-based parties face resistance from another NDA constituent with an established political presence in UP — the Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP). Rajbhar went on to claim that his party would be forced to consider “other options” if LJP (RV) finds a place in the BJP-led alliance. The warning was seen as a reflection of an emerging turf battle within NDA, where regional allies are increasingly conscious of protecting their political space and electoral constituencies.SBSP spokesperson Piyush Mishra said his party was not included in NDA alliance during the 2025 Bihar elections. “The treatment meted out to his party should be given to the Bihar’s outfits as well,” Mishra said.Nudged out of NDA, the SBSP contested 27 Assembly seats in Bihar but faced a complete rout, while bagging barely 0.12% of the votes.Political experts said the contrasting experiences of these parties underline a larger reality — regional influence does not necessarily travel across state boundaries, even when neighbouring states share social and cultural linkages.While caste identities and community networks often extend beyond geographical boundaries, especially in the case of UP and Bihar, their electoral mobilisation is shaped by state-specific political equations, local leadership, organisational structures and established loyalties.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Lucknow | Silver Rate in Lucknow | Bank Holidays in Lucknow | Public Holidays in Lucknow | Lucknow AQI | Weather in Lucknow | Petrol Price in Lucknow | Diesel Price in Lucknow | CNG Price in Lucknow | LPG Price in LucknowStay updated with the latest Lucknow news. Download the TOI App.