With the first phase of election over, the BJP is intensifying efforts to secure 15 out of the 17 reserved seats it clinched in the 2019 parliamentary elections, aiming to uphold its stronghold over Uttar Pradesh's caste dynamics in the upcoming 2024 polls.
These efforts, including retaining one of the seats for its ally Apna Dal-S, are crucial for the BJP's strategy to maintain dominance and diminish the Dalit vote share of its political rivals.
The 17 reserved seats for Scheduled Castes in Uttar Pradesh include Agra, Bahraich, Bangaon, Barabanki, Bulandshahr, Etawah, Hardoi, Hathras, Jalaun, Kaushambi, Lalganj, Machhlishahr, Misrikh, Mohanlalganj, Nagina, Robertsganj, and Shahjahanpur. Except for Lalganj and Nagina, which were secured by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the BJP had won the remaining seats in the previous elections.
In its bid to maintain its winning coalition, the BJP aims to appeal to non-Jatav Dalits, non-Yadav Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and upper castes, a strategy that has proven successful in the last four polls in Uttar Pradesh, excluding Muslims from its diverse representation.
