Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav during the recent Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Agra.
Credit: PTI Photo
Lucknow: Apparently of the view that the BSP's grip on its traditional Dalit voters has loosened considerably and realising that the Lok Sabha seats reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) will be playing a crucial role in stopping the BJP juggernaut in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress-Samajwadi Party (SP) alliance has decided to focus on its 'PDA' (Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) formula in the state in the forthcoming general elections.
There are 17 reserved seats in the state and the BJP had won 15 of them in the 2019 polls losing Nagina and Lalganj seats to the BSP, which had contested the polls in alliance with the SP.
In 2014, the BJP had won all the reserved seats in the state. In 2004 polls, the BJP had managed to win only three reserved seats in the state.
BSP had then won five reserved seats while the SP had won the maximum seven seats. BSP's performance on the reserved seats had since been miserable and the party had not been able to maintain its grip on its core vote bank of Dalits in the state though it did manage to form the government in the state in 2007 Assembly polls winning 61 of the 86 reserved seats.
That the saffron party was aiming to maintain its hold on the reserved seats was evident, when the BJP inducted as many as nine Dalits in its ministry in the state after it won the 2022 Assembly polls.
Interestingly, the one minister, who was inducted from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) quota in the state cabinet last month after the saffron party's alliance with the RLD, also hailed from the Dalit community.
In the 2022 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 65 reserved seats and formed its government in the state. In 2017 the saffron part had fared even better on the reserved seats winning a whopping 71 seats. Interestingly in the 2012 Assembly the SP had won 58 reserved seats and formed its government in the state. It was quite evident, the party which had won the maximum reserved seats had formed its government in Uttar Pradesh.
The population of the Dalits was around 29 per cent in the state and the voters from the community were deciding factors not only on the reserved seats, but also on many other seats and therefore it was not surprising that all the major political players were trying every trick to woo them.
While the BJP has deployed its Dalit ministers and legislators to ensure success on the reserved seats and also elsewhere, the SP-Congress alliance is banking on the PDA formula to deliver in the polls. The SP had also undertaken a PDA Yatra in the state a few days back.
The BJP government in the state has sanctioned 'Y' plus security for firebrand Dalit leader and Bhim Army president Chandrashekhar alias Ravan in an apparent bid to give the message that it was sensitive to the interests of the community. Chandrashekhar was in the fray as an independent candidate from Nagina reserved seat this time.