Lucknow: First swearing in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal attended on Saturday NDA Uttar Pradesh partners – a development that put the spotlight on the saffron party’s attempt to extend its coalition unity beyond the Hindi belt of UP and Bihar.Apart from the Chief Minister Yogi AdityanathLike Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, BJP’s ally RLD chief from UP Jayant ChaudharyApna Dal (S) president Anupriya Patel, SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad were also present on the stage when Adhikari and his four cabinet ministers – Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu and Nisith Pramanik – took the oath.According to sources, the presence of UP allies on the Bengal stage is a calculated move at many levels. A senior BJP functionary said that by bringing in allies from UP, one of the most politically important states, the BJP aims to present the NDA as a united, all-India front. This refuted the narrative of the BJP being a lone political warrior, while also demonstrating how its allies invested in the party’s expansion beyond its regional boundaries.Analysts said West Bengal has a large population of Hindi-speaking residents, many of whom had roots in eastern UP and Bihar. The presence of UP ally leaders, who have bases in East and West UP, was aimed at appealing to non-Bengali speaking voters, many of whom had gathered at the Brigade Ground in Kolkata during the swearing-in ceremony. It is said that these voters also played their role in BJP coming to power with an overwhelming majority in the Bengal Assembly elections.BJP sources said the party wants to send a message of cultural and political continuity between the new administration in the Hindi heartland and Bengal.Political commentator JP Shukla said, “It was also a display of caste unity in line with the BJP’s Hindutva agenda.”Analysts said inviting its allies acted as a “victory lap” for the BJP. It was also seen as a visible reminder to the TMC and the Indian faction of the opposition that the BJP machinery is supported by a broad regional consensus. Integrating UP allies into the Bengal political milieu was also seen as suggestive of a blueprint for an integrated campaign strategy, where the regional partners would support each other at the state level to counter the opposition faction in the upcoming election battle.Not surprisingly, it also set the stage for the BJP’s next electoral contest, including next year’s UP elections followed by the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.