After the BJP’s shocking defeat in Uttar Pradesh’s Lok Sabha seats by the Opposition INDIA bloc, internal reviews of the results have been accompanied by criticisms from its allies, most notably the Sanjay Nishad-led NISHAD party.

On Monday, Nishad told reporters, “Garib ko ujadenge toh woh hamein ujadega rajneeti mein (Uproot the poor, and they will uproot us in politics).” He also criticized the “misuse of bulldozers” by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. On Tuesday, Adityanath addressed the fears of residents in Lucknow neighborhoods troubled by rumors of house demolitions for the Kukrail river project.

Previously, another BJP ally, Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel, chief of the Apna Dal (S), publicly shared a letter to Adityanath expressing concerns about government jobs reserved for OBCs and SCs going to general category applicants in Uttar Pradesh.

Patel’s claim that reserved seats were becoming “unreserved” during government recruitment reveals deeper concerns among the ruling party’s coalition partners about the shift in SC and OBC votes to the Opposition in the Lok Sabha elections.

The unrest within the NDA in UP may prompt the BJP to reevaluate its alliances in the state, with some party members claiming their partners failed to deliver votes from their communities. A segment of the state BJP believes the party should develop its leadership within these communities.

A senior BJP leader recently said, “The party will have to think about promoting strong OBC faces, especially Kurmis, from within our ranks who can connect with people. It is clear that despite giving ministerial posts and representation in the government, these community leaders failed to connect with their communities.”

It remains to be seen how the BJP will respond to the discontent among its allies as the UP Assembly polls approach in 2027.

Chandrababu Naidu in Delhi Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu is in Delhi for a two-day visit starting Tuesday. On Tuesday, he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss substantial fund allocation in the upcoming Union Budget to address the state’s financial challenges.

On Wednesday, Naidu is expected to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to further discuss the state’s financial needs. A meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely, according to sources.

A fortnight ago, Naidu met Modi and Shah in separate meetings on July 4. He also met other Union ministers, including Sitharaman, during his last visit. Naidu’s TDP is a key ally of the NDA government and holds considerable influence within the alliance, with 16 TDP MPs in the Lok Sabha.

Farmers’ Protests On Tuesday, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal announced that farmers will head towards Delhi once the national highway, currently barricaded at Shambhu border near Ambala in Haryana, is opened.

His statement followed a Punjab and Haryana High Court directive for the Haryana government to open the Shambhu border barricades on an “experimental basis.” Farmers have been camping at the border since February 13.

Another farmer leader, Tejvir Singh, stated that farmers will ‘gherao’ the office of Ambala Superintendent of Police (SP) on Wednesday and Thursday to protest the arrest of farmer activist Navdeep Singh.

In Uttar Pradesh, a day after a delegation of protesting farmers met Allahabad and Kaushambi MPs Ujjwal Raman Singh and Pushpendra Saroj to present their demands, the group is set to meet BJP MP from Phulpur Praveen Patel on Wednesday. SKM members are meeting MPs and urging them to raise their issues in Parliament.