New Delhi: The game of politics is truly unique. Political parties employ all sorts of tactics to secure victory in elections. After all, the winner takes it all, so why shouldn’t political parties try every trick in the book? With the assembly elections fast approaching in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s largest state, te all political parties have already begun firing arrows from their quivers.
While numerous parties will try their luck in UP, the main contest is expected to be between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party. The BJP is the principal party of the NDA, whereas the SP is set to play a major role within the INDIA alliance. Even before the formal election announcement, the BJP has begun devising a strategic trap to undermine Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘PDA’ (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak Backward, Dalit, Minority) gambit. To woo the Dalit community, CM Yogi Adityanath has renamed Bhadohi district to Sant Ravidas Nagar. The BJP views this move as crucial in countering Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘PDA’ card ahead of the assembly elections.
Attempting to Make Inroads into Akhilesh’s ‘PDA
The BJP government, led by CM Yogi Adityanath, has launched the ‘Samarasta Sankalp Abhiyan Yatra’ (Social Harmony Pledge Campaign) to mark the 650th birth anniversary of Sant Ravidas Maharaj. On this occasion, Bhadohi was renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar, sending the political temperature in UP soaring. Through this move, the BJP has attempted to weaken the SP’s narrative, specifically Akhilesh Yadav’s frequent allegations that the rights of the ‘PDA’ sections are being usurped.
With this strategic move, the BJP aims to woo Dalits while simultaneously projecting itself as the champion of the downtrodden, positioning itself at the forefront of securing rights for the weaker sections. Through this pledge campaign, the BJP intends to consolidate and regain its lost Dalit vote bank. Dalit voters hold significant sway in UP politics. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the SP managed to make significant inroads into this vote bank using its ‘PDA’ formula, causing substantial losses for the BJP.
How Crucial Are Dalit Voters in UP?
Winning the Uttar Pradesh election requires winning over the Dalit community. Neglecting them could sink any political party’s electoral prospects. Dalits constitute approximately 22 per cent of the population in Uttar Pradesh. Furthermore, 84 of the state’s 403 assembly seats are reserved for Dalits. Beyond this, Dalits play a decisive role in over 100 constituencies across the state.
In the 2022 assembly elections, Dalits had wholeheartedly supported the NDA; NDA-backed candidates won 63 of the 84 reserved seats, whereas the SP alliance managed to secure only 20. However, during the Lok Sabha elections, Dalit support shifted towards the SP alliance driven by Akhilesh Yadav’s rhetoric regarding the ‘PDA’ and claims that the Constitution was under threat, resulting in significant losses for the BJP. The SP emerged as the leading party in the Lok Sabha polls, while the BJP slipped to second place.
The opposition succeeded in effectively conveying the narrative of an “anti-Dalit” campaign against the BJP to the public. Now, however, the BJP is making every effort to win back Dalit support, aiming to send a new message through events such as Ambedkar Jayanti and Ravidas Jayanti.
