‘SP, Congress Anti-Women’: Yogi Adityanath Mobilizes BJP in Uttar Pradesh Padyatra
CM Yogi Adityanath leads a unified BJP march in UP, framing opposition SP and Congress as anti-women amid push for Women’s Reservation Bill ahead of 2027 polls.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spearheaded a large-scale foot march on April 20, 2026, involving cabinet ministers, MLAs, and NDA allies, aggressively branding the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress as "anti-women." This coordinated BJP campaign aims to capitalize on popular support for women’s political representation, aligning with the central government’s fast-tracking of the Women’s Reservation Bill nationally.
The Indian Express
Why This Matters: Women’s Reservation as a Political Wedge in UP
The Women’s Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), which proposes reserving 33% of legislative assembly seats for women, is gaining momentum at the federal level, with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP strategists prioritizing its passage. This bill could reshape electoral calculus in India’s most populous—and politically pivotal—state, Uttar Pradesh (
The Hindu, April 2026).
The BJP’s move to page this women’s empowerment agenda confronts opposition parties seen as reluctant or opposed to the quota, painting SP and Congress as hostile to women’s advancement. By framing the opposition this way, Yogi Adityanath is rallying BJP’s electoral base and attracting female voters ahead of the 2027 state election, where margins have been narrowing in recent cycles.
The BJP’s strategy also digs at SP’s traditional reliance on caste-based politics and Congress’s criticisms, casting these frameworks as exclusionary, especially to women. The campaign’s mass mobilization, involving thousands across party ranks in the Jan Akrosh Padyatra (People’s Anger March), highlights a disciplined political effort to nationalize local grievances and project BJP as the pro-women party.
What to Watch Next
- Parliamentary progress on the Women’s Reservation Bill will be key, as its final form and timing will directly influence candidate selection and voter alignments in UP.
- Opposition response, particularly from SP and Congress, will test if they can reframe the narrative or mobilize countervailing coalitions around caste and minority rights.
- Voter impact, especially among women and youth: If the BJP convincingly owns the issue, it could erode opposition support in critical constituencies with significant female electorates.
- Internal BJP unity and candidate selection pressures could rise, as reservation policies often trigger contestation within party ranks over ticket allocations.
This BJP-led push in UP is a calculated attempt to reshape the political playing field by aligning gender politics with the party’s broader electoral strategy. The central government’s fast-tracking of the women’s quota bill lends urgency and legitimacy, while Yogi Adityanath’s assertive campaign against SP and Congress positions the BJP as the modern, inclusive force ahead of the 2027 state polls.
For more on Indian political dynamics and UP election strategies, see our 
India profile and Global Politics coverage.
