UP In view of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is constantly keeping an eye on the Dalit vote bank. For a long time since independence, the Dalit community was the core vote bank of the Congress, but after the political rise of the BSP in the 1980s, the Dalit community in Uttar Pradesh started moving away from the Congress. Consequently, the Congress turned to the BSP in UP to regain its old vote bank, but after being disappointed with the BSP, it is now turning to Chandrashekhar. The BSP also appears cautious about this.
Kanshi Ram began his political career in opposition to the Congress and awakened such political and social consciousness among the Dalit community that the Congress was marginalized. What is the identity of the BSP? The slogan “Blue Flag and Elephant Symbol”… began to resonate in Dalit villages. This was the BSP’s identity and political strength among the Dalit community. The Dalit community became the BSP’s main vote bank, supporting Mayawati as Chief Minister of UP four times and the Congress going into political exile.
In such a situation, Congress has now begun efforts to regain this vote bank in Uttar Pradesh, and signs of this are already visible. Congress initially attempted to join hands with the BSP in Uttar Pradesh, but after the BSP’s refusal, Congress has now turned to Chandrashekhar to regain Dalit votes. To regain the trust of the Dalit community, Congress has once again used Kanshi Ram as its political weapon and has chosen Chandrashekhar over Mayawati.
Dalit voters constitute approximately 21% to 22% of the population in Uttar Pradesh, and the state’s 85 reserved assembly seats play a decisive role in elections. Of the total Dalit population in Uttar Pradesh, approximately 11% are Jatavs and approximately 10% are non-Jatav castes (such as Pasi, Kori, Dhobi, Valmiki, etc.). The Dalit population directly influences the results of the state’s more than 140 general seats. Of the total Dalit population, approximately 11% belong to the Jatav community, which has traditionally been considered the core voter base of the Bahujan Samaj Party. In the districts of Bundelkhand (Jhansi, Jalaun, Chitrakoot), the Dalit population exceeds 25%. Furthermore, Dalit voters also hold a strong presence in western Uttar Pradesh (Bijnor, Agra, Saharanpur, Bulandshahr) and eastern Uttar Pradesh (Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Chandauli).
The Congress believes it can regain its old Dalit vote bank. Congress believes that Dalit voters are now looking for alternatives. This has prompted the BSP to become vigilant about its core vote bank. Mayawati constantly cautions the Dalit community to stay away from the Congress. Mayawati knows that if the Dalit community, like Muslim votes, also shifts to the Congress, her political fortunes will never rise again.
Dalit voters have certainly sided with the Congress in the 2024 elections on the issues of reservation and the Constitution, but the Congress still believes that if a Dalit leader forms an alliance with them in Uttar Pradesh, the Dalit vote will never drift away from the Congress, and their political exile in Uttar Pradesh will end.
The BSP’s rise in politics has been as rapid as its decline. To understand this, let’s rewind a bit. In 2007, the UP Assembly elections were being held. At that time, the BSP wave swept the state. With 30.43 percent of the vote, the BSP secured an absolute majority in UP. The BSP won 206 seats and formed the government. BSP supremo Mayawati became the Chief Minister. The BSP’s decline becomes clear from the last two elections. In the 2022 elections, the BSP won only one seat.
BSP candidate Umashankar Singh won the Rasra assembly seat in Ballia. Singh recently passed away. The BSP received 12.88 percent of the vote in the 2022 elections. Going back five years, the BSP won 19 seats in the 2017 assembly elections, securing 22.23 percent of the vote. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BSP failed to win a single seat. It contested 79 seats in this election, but failed to win a single one.
The BSP has gone to ground to regain its lost ground. BSP supremo Mayawati’s nephew, Akash Anand, recently sounded the election bugle from Sadabad in Hathras. The BSP is once again engaged in activating workers at the booth level. Mayawati has put forward her nephew, Akash Anand, ahead of the UP Assembly elections. The BSP has begun its election campaign.
Congress has, in its first attempt to woo Dalit voters in the 2027 UP Assembly elections, replaced its election in-charge with a Dalit, Rajendra Pal Gautam. By appointing Rajendra Pal Gautam as in-charge, the Congress is attempting to gain political advantage by reducing the influence of Chandrashekhar’s Azad Samaj Party in West Uttar Pradesh.
Chandrashekhar Azad hails from Saharanpur in West Uttar Pradesh. He is the MP from Nagina. He belongs to the Jatav community, which has a large Jatav population. Nagina MP Chandrashekhar also hopes to advance his political career by relying on Dalit voters. Chandrashekhar is also eyeing the Muslim vote in West Uttar Pradesh, along with Dalits. At the same time, the Congress is also eyeing the Muslim population along with Dalit voters. The Congress is trying to woo Muslims with the help of Saharanpur MP Imran Masood.
Not only the Congress, but the ruling BJP and Samajwadi Party are also trying to woo Dalit voters. Recently, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath changed the name of Bhadohi district to Sant Shiromani Ravidas. Bhadohi was renamed after Sant Ravidas.
Dasnagar. Furthermore, the Yogi government has approved the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Statue Development Scheme. Furthermore, two Dalit candidates were included among the six new ministers recently inducted into the Yogi cabinet.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) has made a major pre-election announcement to woo Dalit voters. Ahead of the 2027 elections, SP President Akhilesh Yadav has announced plans to field 14 Dalit candidates on general seats. Uttar Pradesh has 84 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and two for Scheduled Tribes. Now, with Akhilesh Yadav’s announcement to field Dalit candidates on 14 general seats, 100 seats will be reserved for the reserved category. It remains to be seen how effective this move by the SP will prove in the 2027 assembly elections.