It is difficult to say when and which turn will come in the politics of Uttar Pradesh. But this time the competition has started not with any election rally or poster war, but with hot ‘Bati-Chokha’ decorated in a plate.
On the very first day of the new year 2026, a feast was held at the headquarters of Samajwadi Party in Lucknow, the fragrance of which has scented the political corridors up to Delhi. Although it was a celebration of the New Year, the hidden strategy behind it has added fuel to the ‘Brahmin vs Organization’ dispute going on within the Bharatiya Janata Party. Akhilesh Yadav has very cleverly woven such a web through Baati-Chokha, in which angry BJP leaders are getting drawn.
Akhilesh’s sarcasm on BJP’s discipline in the name of feast
A crowd of workers had gathered at this banquet organized at the headquarters of Samajwadi Party. During this, while addressing the public, Akhilesh Yadav made a direct attack on BJP. He said that Baati-Chokha is a part of the glorious culture of our Uttar Pradesh and it should not be defamed by getting dragged into mutual disputes or dirty politics. Akhilesh stressed that in a democracy everyone has the right to sit and eat together without any restriction. This statement of the SP chief was actually a sympathy towards those BJP MLAs and MLCs, who had to hear rebuke for fighting within their own party.
Why ‘Baati-Chokha’ became a headache for BJP?
The roots of this entire controversy are a week old, when BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary had issued a strict warning to many Brahmin MLAs. The only ‘crime’ of these leaders was that they had attended a community meeting and dinner organized under the pretext of Bati-Chokha, a popular dish of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The BJP organization considered it an activity promoting indiscipline and casteism. However, leaders like former MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had raised questions on this stand of his own party. He had argued that when the party itself organizes big caste conferences, then why are such restrictions being imposed on the social interaction of MLAs?
Akhilesh Yadav’s masterstroke: two birds with one stone
Political experts believe that Akhilesh Yadav has made a very smart move through this party. The first target is on those Brahmin leaders who are feeling insulted by the strictness of the BJP organization. SP is giving them the message that the doors of ‘cycle’ are always open for them. The second target is on the voters of Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, for whom Bati-Chokha is not just food but their identity. Through this, SP is trying to present itself as the protector of the traditions of the common people and BJP as a rigid and controlling party.
Is this game that started from the plate the foundation of 2027?
The era of ‘social engineering’ seems to be returning again in UP politics. Akhilesh Yadav is now not only talking about backward people and minorities, but he also does not want to leave any opportunity to make inroads among the upper castes, especially the Brahmins. Bati-chokha has proved to be the cheapest and most effective weapon to bring the internal discord of BJP onto the streets. Now it remains to be seen how BJP convinces its angry Brahmin MLAs and whether this ‘thali diplomacy’ of Akhilesh Yadav will be able to change the flavor of election results of Uttar Pradesh in future. At present, the smell of politics and Sondhi Baati is mixed in the air of Lucknow.