Lucknow, BJP, which performed well on the Lok Sabha seats reserved for Scheduled Castes in Uttar Pradesh in the last two general elections, has suffered a setback in the latest elections.
Of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, 17 are reserved for SCs (Dalits). The BJP won eight of them, while the opposition parties won nine of these reserved seats.
While the Samajwadi Party (SP) won seven seats, the Congress won one seat and the new "hero" of Dalit politics, Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief Chandrashekhar Azad, won from the Nagina constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. BJP had registered a unilateral victory on all 17 SC-reserved seats. But in 2019, out of these 17 seats, it lost Nagina and Lalganj seats to BSP.The remaining 14 seats were won by BJP and one seat in Robertsganj was won by BJP's ally Apna Dal (S).
In the 2024 general elections, the BJP has won only eight reserved seats – Bulandshahr, Hathras, Agra, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Misrikh, Bansgaon and Bahraich.
Whereas, SP won Robertsganj, Machhilshahr, Lalganj, Kaushambi, Jalaun, Mohanlalganj and Etawah seats. Congress won from Barabanki and Azad Samaj Party from Nagina. In the 2024 elections, people were surprised when SP chief Akhilesh Yadav declared nine-time MLA and Dalit community's Awadhesh Prasad as the candidate from the general seat of Faizabad (Ayodhya). But Prasad defeated two-time MP and former minister Lallu Singh on this prestigious seat.
BSP, which once reached the pinnacle of politics and power on the basis of Dalit vote bank, could not even open its account.
Congress leader PL Punia, former MP and former chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, said that last time some votes of Scheduled Castes went to BSP and some to BJP. He claimed that this time no one went to BJP and only a limited number of people went to BSP.“This time, the entire vote shifted to the India block,” Punia said.
Punia was elected Congress MP from Barabanki Lok Sabha constituency in 2009. Her son Tanuj Punia, once close to Mayawati, had defeated BJP candidate Rajrani Rawat by 2,15,704 votes in the Barabanki (reserved) seat.
When asked the reason for Dalits voting for India Bloc, Punia said, "India Bloc had promised poor families Rs 1 lakh annually, jobs, unemployment allowance and Rs 400 minimum wage. It was quite effective.“Also, people were alarmed by the claims of BJP leaders that they need more than 400 seats to change the Constitution made by Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Punia said, “Both these things came from BJP only. Therefore, voters became conscious that they would not allow the Constitution to be changed under any circumstances. This was a big factor.
He said, “It is well known that Bahujan Samaj Party has joined hands with BJP. Therefore Dalits voted for India Bloc in large numbers. We will live up to their expectations.'' Regarding the crushing defeat, a BSP worker said, ''We have suffered a loss because of sister (Mayawati)'s announcement of removing her nephew and successor Akash Anand from all posts in the middle of the elections. .,
BJP's Kamlesh Paswan was declared victorious from Bansgaon seat by just 3150 votes. At the same time, big leaders like Union Minister Kaushal Kishore from Mohanlalganj and Bhanu Pratap Verma from Jalaun also had to face defeat this time.
With opposition parties occupying more than half of the reserved seats, political analysts have started claiming that the BJP has failed in the management of reserved seats. Professor of the Department of History and 'Caste and Politics in Democracy' at Baba Saheb Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow. Dr. Sushil Pandey, author of the book, said, "It is too early to reach any decisive point in this, but this cannot be denied." Voters' anger over the selection of BJP candidates, slogans of saving the Constitution, protecting reservations and increasing the quantity of ration given by opposition parties attracted Dalits.
During the election campaign, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had alleged that if the NDA wins more than 400 seats, the ruling BJP will change the Constitution and end reservation.
A senior BJP leader, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We thought that the traditional vote bank of BSP was ours because the party was weakening and also because of our distribution of five kilos of food grains. But a large number of Dalits came under the influence of the leaders of the opposition alliance in the name of saving the Constitution and reservation.He said that this affected not only the seats reserved for Dalits, but also the general seats, where candidates of opposition parties got the votes of Dalits.
India Block has also done new experiments to woo the Dalits who constitute 29 percent of the population.
After the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, top BJP leaders were accusing the opposition parties of rejecting the invitation to the consecration ceremony and being anti-Sanatan. But in the same Ayodhya, the SP's strategy of fielding Prasad clicked and he defeated the BJP candidate Lallu. Singh, who was a kar sevak of the Ram Mandir movement.
Political analyst and Dalit thinker Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Ghazipur, told that Akhilesh Yadav had certainly taken a big risk by fielding a Dalit candidate on a general seat. But he reaped benefits not only in Ayodhya but also on other seats of the state.
In Uttar Pradesh, Nagina, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Agra, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Misrikh, Etawah, Bahraich, Mohanlalganj, Jalaun, Kaushambi, Barabanki, Lalganj, Machhlishahr, Bansgaon and Robertsganj Lok Sabha seats are reserved for the SCs.
Of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, 17 are reserved for SCs (Dalits). The BJP won eight of them, while the opposition parties won nine of these reserved seats.
While the Samajwadi Party (SP) won seven seats, the Congress won one seat and the new "hero" of Dalit politics, Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief Chandrashekhar Azad, won from the Nagina constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. BJP had registered a unilateral victory on all 17 SC-reserved seats. But in 2019, out of these 17 seats, it lost Nagina and Lalganj seats to BSP.The remaining 14 seats were won by BJP and one seat in Robertsganj was won by BJP's ally Apna Dal (S).
In the 2024 general elections, the BJP has won only eight reserved seats – Bulandshahr, Hathras, Agra, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Misrikh, Bansgaon and Bahraich.
Whereas, SP won Robertsganj, Machhilshahr, Lalganj, Kaushambi, Jalaun, Mohanlalganj and Etawah seats. Congress won from Barabanki and Azad Samaj Party from Nagina. In the 2024 elections, people were surprised when SP chief Akhilesh Yadav declared nine-time MLA and Dalit community's Awadhesh Prasad as the candidate from the general seat of Faizabad (Ayodhya). But Prasad defeated two-time MP and former minister Lallu Singh on this prestigious seat.
BSP, which once reached the pinnacle of politics and power on the basis of Dalit vote bank, could not even open its account.
Congress leader PL Punia, former MP and former chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, said that last time some votes of Scheduled Castes went to BSP and some to BJP. He claimed that this time no one went to BJP and only a limited number of people went to BSP.“This time, the entire vote shifted to the India block,” Punia said.
Punia was elected Congress MP from Barabanki Lok Sabha constituency in 2009. Her son Tanuj Punia, once close to Mayawati, had defeated BJP candidate Rajrani Rawat by 2,15,704 votes in the Barabanki (reserved) seat.
When asked the reason for Dalits voting for India Bloc, Punia said, "India Bloc had promised poor families Rs 1 lakh annually, jobs, unemployment allowance and Rs 400 minimum wage. It was quite effective.“Also, people were alarmed by the claims of BJP leaders that they need more than 400 seats to change the Constitution made by Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Punia said, “Both these things came from BJP only. Therefore, voters became conscious that they would not allow the Constitution to be changed under any circumstances. This was a big factor.
He said, “It is well known that Bahujan Samaj Party has joined hands with BJP. Therefore Dalits voted for India Bloc in large numbers. We will live up to their expectations.'' Regarding the crushing defeat, a BSP worker said, ''We have suffered a loss because of sister (Mayawati)'s announcement of removing her nephew and successor Akash Anand from all posts in the middle of the elections. .,
BJP's Kamlesh Paswan was declared victorious from Bansgaon seat by just 3150 votes. At the same time, big leaders like Union Minister Kaushal Kishore from Mohanlalganj and Bhanu Pratap Verma from Jalaun also had to face defeat this time.
With opposition parties occupying more than half of the reserved seats, political analysts have started claiming that the BJP has failed in the management of reserved seats. Professor of the Department of History and 'Caste and Politics in Democracy' at Baba Saheb Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow. Dr. Sushil Pandey, author of the book, said, "It is too early to reach any decisive point in this, but this cannot be denied." Voters' anger over the selection of BJP candidates, slogans of saving the Constitution, protecting reservations and increasing the quantity of ration given by opposition parties attracted Dalits.
During the election campaign, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had alleged that if the NDA wins more than 400 seats, the ruling BJP will change the Constitution and end reservation.
A senior BJP leader, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We thought that the traditional vote bank of BSP was ours because the party was weakening and also because of our distribution of five kilos of food grains. But a large number of Dalits came under the influence of the leaders of the opposition alliance in the name of saving the Constitution and reservation.He said that this affected not only the seats reserved for Dalits, but also the general seats, where candidates of opposition parties got the votes of Dalits.
India Block has also done new experiments to woo the Dalits who constitute 29 percent of the population.
After the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, top BJP leaders were accusing the opposition parties of rejecting the invitation to the consecration ceremony and being anti-Sanatan. But in the same Ayodhya, the SP's strategy of fielding Prasad clicked and he defeated the BJP candidate Lallu. Singh, who was a kar sevak of the Ram Mandir movement.
Political analyst and Dalit thinker Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Ghazipur, told that Akhilesh Yadav had certainly taken a big risk by fielding a Dalit candidate on a general seat. But he reaped benefits not only in Ayodhya but also on other seats of the state.
In Uttar Pradesh, Nagina, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Agra, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Misrikh, Etawah, Bahraich, Mohanlalganj, Jalaun, Kaushambi, Barabanki, Lalganj, Machhlishahr, Bansgaon and Robertsganj Lok Sabha seats are reserved for the SCs.
