Lucknow: The West Bengal Assembly election results are set to cast a shadow on Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape, with ripple effects expected among all major players, including the BJP, SP and Congress.While the parties, barring the Congress or the BJP, in the fray in other states like Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry or Kerala don’t have much at stake in Uttar Pradesh, TMC’s drubbing in West Bengal is sure to have a direct impact on the state.Mamata’s clear and strong backing of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav as part of the INDIA bloc may have a cascading effect on the SP, which is the principal opposition in Uttar Pradesh and has been upbeat about its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.Mamata’s support for Akhilesh was so strong that, just like TMC, the SP too hired I-PAC as an election strategy agency. Sources in the SP told TOI that Mamata was instrumental in facilitating I-PAC’s roping in by the Samajwadi Party.With the Enforcement Directorate probing I-PAC’s illegal money trail and some of its officials behind bars, the agency’s work for the SP is expected to have a direct bearing on the state, experts said.This will be in addition to the impact that the SP’s morale will suffer after the BJP’s resounding victory in West Bengal.However, SP functionaries believe that Uttar Pradesh is way too different from West Bengal.“In the 2027 Assembly elections, the party will perform better than in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” an SP functionary said.Akhilesh is expected to meet Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Wednesday in a likely bid to express solidarity, the TMC chief confirmed before the media on Tuesday.With UP elections being the next goal, the INDIA bloc wants to be seen as strong and united, political observers said.The situation, however, has not improved for the Congress, election after election, state after state. The latest drubbing was in West Bengal, where it could win only two seats with a mere 2.9% vote share.Though the Congress is leading the INDIA bloc nationally, the same alignment does not necessarily work for it in states, including Uttar Pradesh.Congress and TMC fought separately in Bengal.In UP, though the Congress joined hands with SP during the Lok Sabha election, a section within the Congress continues to believe that an alliance with the BSP would be better for the party.With continued inability to improve its tally, the Congress would not be in a commanding position when it comes to the seat-sharing formula with the SP, observers said.For BJP, West Bengal poll results have certainly come as a morale booster. The outcome has put a stamp on the central leadership’s authority.The party is likely to become active in UP to plug loopholes that took the party from 62 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to a meagre 33 in the 2024 elections.While the governance part is being looked after by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, mobilisation of workers is BJP’s concern.Efforts are being made in this direction after the appointment of Maharajganj MP and Union minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary as the UP BJP chief, and workers are waiting to see a strong and revamped state unit.Since Bengal polls are over now, declaration of a new team is expected soon.However, more eagerly awaited is the appointment of a new UP in-charge, who can maintain a proper balance between the govt and the organisation in the state.Party workers believe that things would start moving quickly only after a new in-charge is appointed. The appointment might still take a few months, party insiders said. After the West Bengal election results, BJP workers are also expecting a Cabinet expansion. Politics in UP is set to become spicier in the days to come.
