BJP launches intensive narrative campaign ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections

Union Home Minister Amit Shah challenged the Opposition to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Parliament during a BJP executive meeting in Lucknow on Oct. 30, after the issue was rejected for debate in the Monsoon Session. The move was interpreted within the party as an acknowledgement that the opposition’s messaging required a strong response.

The BJP has organized a series of padyatras and public forums across the country, including a mock Parliament session staged by the pro-BJP group Citizens for Democracy in Delhi. Senior leaders such as party president Nitin Nabin, Union Ministers JP Nadda and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will lead six padyatras in Uttar Pradesh from Nov. 3-5.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Opposition had become an “obstructionist force” and questioned who “anti-India forces” were supporting. After Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi called for a debate, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused Gandhi of advancing the agenda of “India’s enemies.”

The party also highlighted comments by left-wing student leader Neha Bora on Brahminism and temple-related sexual crimes, labeling her the “poster girl” of an anti-Hindu agenda.

Within the BJP, opinions differ on the path forward. Some leaders argue that a decisive victory in the upcoming state elections, especially in Uttar Pradesh, will diminish the Opposition’s influence. Others warn that unchecked opposition narratives could undermine institutional stability and stress the need for an aggressive counter-campaign ahead of the 2029 elections.

A senior leader noted that the BJP has been reacting rather than setting the narrative since the NEET controversy that led to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation in July, and emphasized the importance of regaining narrative leadership on social media and public discourse.