A major political mobilisation unfolded in Lucknow on Tuesday as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised a large-scale ‘Jan Aakrosh Mahila Padyatra’, turning the recent controversy over the Women’s Reservation Bill into a heated political battle in Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath personally led the march, walking alongside thousands of women participants under intense afternoon heat. According to BJP leaders, nearly 15,000 women joined the padyatra, which began from the Chief Minister’s residence and concluded at the Vidhan Sabha, covering a distance of around two kilometres.
The rally saw participation from senior BJP leaders, including both deputy chief ministers and state party president Pankaj Chaudhary, who used the platform to launch a strong attack on the opposition. Chaudhary accused the Samajwadi Party and Congress of engaging in appeasement politics and claimed that women across the state were deeply angered by their stance on reservation-related issues.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also targeted opposition parties, alleging that they had historically been “anti-women” in their approach. He said the large turnout despite extreme heat reflected public anger and asserted that the movement would not remain limited to Lucknow but would be expanded to booth, block, and district levels across Uttar Pradesh.
The march was organised with extensive arrangements, including drinking water stations and emergency medical support, as temperatures soared. Participants were seen raising slogans against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and expressing support for the BJP’s position on women’s empowerment and reservation.
State Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi also addressed the gathering, criticising the opposition and stating that women’s reservation should not be viewed through a caste-based lens. Leaders from allied parties, including Om Prakash Rajbhar and Ashish Patel, also attended the event, which political observers described as a major show of strength by the ruling alliance.
Later in the day, the Samajwadi Party responded with a press briefing, where party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the timing and intent of the march. He remarked that it was unusual for a ruling party to stage such a large political mobilisation over a bill it itself supported, especially in extreme weather conditions.
Yadav further claimed that the Women’s Reservation Bill had already been passed earlier and accused the BJP of using the issue for political polarisation. He said the focus should be on women’s safety and welfare rather than symbolic marches, alleging that the ruling party was attempting to create divisions for electoral gain.
