LUCKNOW: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh has officially dismissed reports claiming that the party has prepared a list of 209 candidates for the upcoming state assembly elections and forwarded it to the central leadership. In an official press release issued on November 15, the state leadership termed the circulating claims completely false, baseless, imaginary, and fabricated. The party clarified that no such list has been compiled or sent to the central leadership, noting that the organizational process for candidate selection has not even begun.
Joint Statement Rejects Circulating Claims
The press release, issued jointly under the signatures of Uttar Pradesh BJP State President Pankaj Chaudhary and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, directly addressed the rumors spreading across certain media outlets, individuals, and institutions over the past few days. These reports had suggested that the state unit had finalized 209 names for the upcoming assembly polls and submitted them for central approval. Rejecting these assertions outright, the party stated that neither the BJP nor its state leadership has prepared any such list, making the question of sending it to the central leadership entirely moot.
Reiterating its internal functioning, the party emphasized that it is a disciplined, cadre-based political organization where candidate selection for assembly or any other elections follows a well-structured, democratic, and comprehensive organizational process. According to the statement, decisions regarding candidates are not made through informal discussions or unverified claims, and the formal selection mechanism for the upcoming assembly elections has yet to commence.
Allegations of a Deliberate Conspiracy
Beyond simply denying the existence of the candidate list, the BJP leadership characterized the spread of the misinformation as a well-thought-out conspiracy. The press release stated that certain elements appear to be deliberately circulating these fabricated rumors to create an atmosphere of confusion, uncertainty, and fear among the party’s dedicated workers and office bearers.
The party noted that such misleading propaganda is aimed at disrupting organizational focus ahead of the elections. With political discussions and speculation around potential contenders gradually picking up pace across various constituencies, the circulation of the purported 209-candidate list had drawn attention in political circles. By issuing a formal rebuttal from its top state leadership, the BJP sought to put an immediate end to the speculation surrounding ticket distribution.
Appeal to Rely Only on Official Channels
In its concluding remarks, the Uttar Pradesh BJP appealed to all its office bearers, party workers, and the general public not to believe such baseless and misleading news reports under any circumstances. The leadership urged workers and citizens to exercise caution and refrain from giving credence to unverified claims regarding candidate lists or poll preparations.
The joint statement from Pankaj Chaudhary and Yogi Adityanath serves as the party’s definitive stand on the matter. The party reiterated that information regarding key electoral decisions and candidate selections will be shared exclusively through authorized party platforms, and only announcements made through official channels should be considered authentic.
