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Dalit vote bank seems to be the biggest electoral battlefield in Uttar Pradesh politics before the 2027 assembly elections. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which was the biggest force in Dalit politics for a long time, is now facing the challenge of saving its traditional vote bank. The victory of Samajwadi Party’s senior Dalit leader Awadhesh Prasad from the general seat Faizabad (Ayodhya) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections gave a new message to the politics of the state. After this, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress are also working rapidly on the strategy of creating new social equations by fielding Dalit faces on general seats.

Political analysts believe that if this experiment is implemented on a large scale in the 2027 assembly elections, it can have a direct impact on the core vote bank of BSP. This is the reason why Mayawati is busy making major changes in the organization, appointing new in-charges and strengthening the party at the booth level.

Awadhesh Prasad’s victory becomes new political model

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party fielded Dalit leader Awadhesh Prasad from the general seat Faizabad (Ayodhya) and won. This result gave the message that Dalit candidates can win even on general seats if strong social equations are created. Since then, almost all the major parties are preparing to try this political experiment in the assembly elections also.

The biggest challenge before BSP

The biggest strength of BSP’s politics has been its Dalit vote bank, especially the Jatav community. But in the last few elections, the party’s support base has continuously weakened. If BJP, SP and Congress are successful in fielding strong Dalit candidates even on general seats, then there may be further dent in BSP’s traditional vote bank. For this reason, the party is trying to re-establish the organization and strengthen the old social base.

Why is everyone changing strategy?

Samajwadi Party is promoting Dalit leadership through the PDA (Backward, Dalit and Minority) formula. Along with strengthening its hold in non-Jatav Dalit communities, BJP is also making a strategy to give opportunities to Dalit faces on general seats. At the same time, Congress is also trying to increase its support base by giving more representation to the Dalit leadership.

Political parties are keeping an eye on those general seats the most, where Dalit voters are in a position to influence the election results. These include Ayodhya (Faizabad), Barabanki, Unnao, Hardoi, Sitapur, Fatehpur, Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, general seats of Prayagraj, Agra, Aligarh, Hathras, Firozabad, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Kaushambi, Banda, Chitrakoot and many general seats of Mirzapur and Sonbhadra. Due to the good number of Dalit voters in these areas, all the major parties are making them an important part of their election strategy.

Why is Dalit vote the biggest electoral factor?

The Scheduled Caste (SC) population in Uttar Pradesh is about 21 percent. It includes many big communities including Jatav, Pasi, Valmiki, Kori, Dhobi, Khatik. This is the reason that no political party now wants to limit the Dalit vote bank only to reserved seats, but is considering it as the key to victory on general seats also. Political experts believe that the 2027 assembly elections will not only be a fight for power for BSP, but will be the biggest test of its political survival and saving the core vote bank. If the experiment of Dalit candidates on general seats is successful then it can have a big impact on the traditional politics of BSP. On the other hand, if Mayawati succeeds in uniting the Dalit voters by strengthening the organization, then the picture of the electoral contest may change.

The biggest political fight of 2027

The 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will not only be a fight for power between BJP and Samajwadi Party, but will also be the biggest political battle to capture the Dalit vote bank. The increasing stake of Dalit candidates on general seats can create new social equations in the coming elections and this strategy can play an important role in deciding the direction and condition of the politics of the state.