BJP National President Nitin Nabin in Mathura (PTI photo)

NEW DELHI: BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Sunday asked party workers in Uttar Pradesh to start preparing for the 2027 Assembly elections, warning against what he called “forces” that appear during polls to divide the country and weaken the Constitution.Nabin was on his first visit to Uttar Pradesh after taking charge as BJP president. Speaking at a gathering in Mathura organised to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme, he said, “The 2027 (polls) are approaching. There are forces in the country who are working to divide and weaken (baatne aur kaatne) the nation, and disrespect the Constitution. Such forces resurface whenever elections come, and we must be prepared to fight them politically.”

He made a veiled attack on opposition parties, saying, “Sometimes they are seen praising the Constitution. Those who undermined the Constitution are also roaming freely. Those who only promoted anarchists are also around. We haven’t forgotten that the UP government once ran at gunpoint. Today, if the UP government is functioning, it is because of the people’s votes.”He expressed confidence that the BJP would return to power in Uttar Pradesh after the next Assembly elections, expected to be held early next year. He credited party workers for the BJP’s repeated electoral victories at the Centre and said their long struggle had paid off.“Today, every state in the country is moving on the path of development under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, with Uttar Pradesh playing a leading role,” he said.Nabin praised Adityanath for “turning Uttar Pradesh into an ‘uttam pradesh’”, saying the state was earlier known as a “bimaru” region marked by poor governance and lawlessness. He also spoke about development and cultural projects in Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura.“Undoubtedly, every follower of Sanatan Dharma takes pride in a government that preserves Sanatan traditions and carries them forward,” he said.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed Nabin on his first visit to the state as BJP president. Nabin travelled from Delhi to Mathura via the Yamuna Expressway, where party workers greeted him.Nabin and Adityanath later visited the Shri Vrindavan Chandrodaya temple run by ISKCON Bengaluru on Vrindavan Marg, where they listened to the prime minister’s Mann Ki Baat address. Addressing the gathering, Adityanath said it was a matter of pride that Nabin chose Mathura, the land of Lord Krishna, for his first visit as BJP chief.