After Mayawati’s praise, BJP to launch ‘chaupals’ across Uttar Pradesh for wooing Dalit-Jatav voters

Beginning with eastern UP, ruling party plans to shift its focus to western region, where Jatavs form a significant voter base. It also looks to counter opposition's PDA narrative.

The BJP's Dalit reachout programme in Uttar Pradesh's Sobhadra on Monday | By Special Arrangement

Lucknow: Emboldened by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati’s praise, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has drawn up plans to hold ‘chaupals’ (traditional village meetings) across all non-reserved assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh to woo Dalit voters, especially the Jatavs.

Beginning with eastern Uttar Pradesh, the BJP then plans to shift its focus to western region, where the Jatavs form a significant voter base. It also aims to counter the PDA (acronym of ‘pichde’ (backward classes), Dalits and ‘alpsankhyak’ (minorities)) narrative, presenting its full form as “Parivar Development Authority” to target the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress among Dalit voters, ThePrint has learnt.

The idea is to highlight that even Mayawati, arguably the most prominent Dalit leader in the state, acknowledges and appreciates the work done by the BJP government, say party leaders.

The BJP’s plan took shape after Mayawati in a massive rally in Lucknow last week on the death anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram had praised the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government.

Multiple leaders of the BSP that ThePrint spoke to remain guarded about their party chief’s praise of the BJP. They are apprehensive that it might alienate the Muslims from the BSP further and also help the ruling party make inroads into their Jatav votebank.

In 2022 assembly elections, the BSP lagged behind smaller parties such as the Apna Dal (S), the Nishad Party, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. It managed to secure just 12.9 percent of the vote, marking its weakest performance since 1993.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Maywati-led party failed to open its account, winning only around 9.86 percent of the votes. The decline in the BSP’s voteshares is attributed primarily to the party losing a section of its Dalit votebank, especially non-Jatavs, to the Samajwadi Party (SP) as well as the BJP.

According to Uttar Pradesh BJP’s Scheduled Caste wing chief Ram Chandra Kannaujia, the ruling party has planned constituency-wise ‘chaupals’ of the SC Morcha to carry forward Mayawati’s positive message about the BJP among Dalits.

“I am visiting Robertsganj in Sonbhadra district of eastern UP for a Dalit Choupal meet. We have initially chosen 317 non-reserved seats, as there is a separate plan for the reserved ones. Getting support of Dalits on non-reserved seats is very important for us,” he told ThePrint.

Kannaujia added that the party has also prepared a list of 60 workers for each of the 1,918 organisational mandals. This team of Dalit volunteers, he said, will help the BJP counter the “misconceptions” that have allegedly taken root among Dalit communities.

“The BSP chief’s remark has come as a ‘Sanjeevani’ (lifeline) for us. We will now spread this message among Dalits, particularly the Jatavs, who have traditionally not been our core voters,” said Kannaujia.

After Mayawati’s address, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had taken a swipe at her on ‘X’. “Unki andhuri saathgath hai jaari, isliye zulm karne waalon ke abhaari. (Their secret alliance continues, which is why they remain grateful to the oppressors),” he posted, referring to the alleged understanding between the BJP and the BSP.

“The Lucknow rally was a golden opportunity for the BSP chief to project her party as the main alternative to the BJP, but she somehow missed it,” political analyst Shilp Shikha Singh, who teaches at Lucknow’s Giri Institute of Development Studies, told ThePrint.

“Although the rally drew a massive crowd, the BSP still needs to intensify its outreach to minorities and MBCs (Most Backward Classes). Praising the ruling government may not help its social engineering strategy, the party will have to come up with a fresh plan.”

Confusion in BSP ranks

Mayawati’s praise of the Yogi Adityanath government has also caused unease within sections of the BSP. While no leader has openly criticised her remarks, many within the party remain uncertain about the message conveyed through the rally.

“We checked all the right boxes by organising such a massive rally, but winning back the trust of minorities remains unfinished. Our leader’s praise for the BJP government might not sit well with them. Criticising the Samajwadi Party is acceptable, but praising the Yogi government was not required,” a senior BSP leader confided to ThePrint.

However, some leaders believe that attacking the Samajwadi Party was a strategic move to distance the Dalit and OBC (Other Backward Class) voters from its rival, thereby positioning the BSP as a strong alternative. They also argue that Mayawati’s praise was limited to the BJP’s efforts in maintaining parks and memorials dedicated to Dalit icons.

Political analyst Prof. Pankaj Kumar agreed with the argument, pointing out that the praise was restricted to Yogi, not the entire BJP.

“Her appreciation was specifically for the good maintenance of parks and monuments dedicated to Dalit icons, not for issues like law and order. Therefore, it should not be interpreted in the way the SP and Congress are portraying it. Mayawati is a seasoned politician, as elections come closer she will also target the government,” Kumar, a faculty member in University of Allahabad’s political science department, told ThePrint.

Minority voters, he said, generally support whoever appears strongest against the BJP. “So, if the BSP succeeds in consolidating the Dalits and also bringing the MBCs and the Brahmins into its fold, minorities might consider backing her (Mayawati). As of now, it’s too early to predict but she certainly put up a power-packed show despite the party being placed fourth in the state.”

(Edited by Tony Rai)