Is Uma Bharti planning to end self-imposed exile, get back to contesting polls? UP BJP abuzz over remarks

While some in the BJP say it is way too early to make such statements as the Lok Sabha elections are four years away and the final decision will be made by the party high command keeping in mind various factors, many in Jhansi are of opinion that her remark indicated her plans to boost her presence and visibility after having been out of spotlight in the Bundelkhand region for some time.

Bharti told reporters in Madhya Pradesh last week, “If I contest, I will contest from Jhansi. My desire is to contest the Lok Sabha elections. If the party asks, I will contest. I will not refuse. I am not marginalised in politics. I am working with full dedication for the cause of the cow and the Ganga. Apart from that, I have no other personal interest in politics.”

A senior BJP leader from Jhansi said, “Making such an announcement four years before the elections has to be looked at differently. Before 2029, Uttar Pradesh will go to the Assembly polls in 2027. It is likely an attempt to get into the spotlight before the Assembly polls and put her supporters in the fray (in Assembly polls).”

Of the five Assembly seats in the Jhansi Lok Sabha constituency, the reserved segments of Babina and Mehroni have sizeable Lodhi voters, numbering over 1 lakh each, he added. In the 2022 Assembly polls, the BJP won four of these five seats, while one, Mauranipur, was bagged by its ally Apna Dal (Soneylal).

Though not many party leaders in UP seem eager to welcome Bharti back in the state’s electoral arena, it remains a fact that after Kalyan Singh, the party has not had a strong Lodhi leader of his stature in the state. To reach out to Lodhi voters, the BJP had inducted Kalyan Singh’s grandson Sandeep Singh as a minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led government. Thus, Bharti’s comeback could well be an electoral factor among the Lodhi voters in UP.

But many in the party might feel uncomfortable given her seniority and the fact that she is known for not mincing her words.

When asked about going from one state to another to fight the election, since she belongs to Madhya Pradesh, Bharti cited the example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi contesting from Varanasi. “A political turning point does not come from a place but from the person itself. I am accepted not just in Madhya Pradesh but equally in UP and Uttarakhand,” she said.

Bharti had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Jhansi, defeating Samajwadi Party’s Chandrapal Singh Yadav by over 1.90 lakh votes.

She, however, announced before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to take a break from electoral politics. She did not contest the 2022 UP Assembly elections or the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 either.

“There is a lot of time for the Lok Sabha polls. She is a senior leader and her desire will surely be considered by the party. But the final decision in this regard will be taken by the party’s high command,” UP BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary told The Indian Express.

After her statement made headlines, Bharti issued a clarification on X on Wednesday, stating her remarks were made informally during a casual conversation. “On October 18, 2025, when I arrived to catch a train from Tikamgarh to Lalitpur, I met BJP officials and workers from Lalitpur and Jhansi. I said casually that I would contest the 2029 elections from Jhansi,” she wrote.