Machhlishahr has never been won by BJP or any saffron outfit since the first election to the seat in 1952. Even in 1977 when anti Congress was at its peak in UP the seat went in favour of the Congress. However, in 2014, the BJP had secured a lead of 27577 votes over its nearest BSP rival in the Machhlishahr assembly segment. It remains to be seen whether the party is able to repeat the performance in the upcoming 2017 assembly elections.