Latest news with #OBC-Dalit
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
With its new UP president pick, BJP may counter SP's PDA pitch
Lucknow: The much-anticipated appointment of the new UP BJP chief may well be the saffron party's most vehement counter to the Samajwadi Party's Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) poll narrative. This narrative is said to have dented the ruling party by pulling down its tally from 62 to 33 in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in UP. Sources said that the caste of the new UP BJP president is expected to define the roadmap of the BJP's strategic push, even if symbolic, in the run-up to the panchayat polls due next year and subsequently the 2027 state elections. A senior BJP leader mentioned that the party is weighing all options to counter the opposition's PDA with its 'P-D' (Pichhda/OBC-Dalit) card, a move expected to be reflected in the party's choice for the new UP BJP president. The most prominent names from the OBC community include Union minister BL Verma, Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh, animal husbandry minister Dharampal Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Baburam Nishad, and MLC Ashok Kataria. Likewise, from the Scheduled Castes category, former MP Ram Shankar Katheria and MLC Vidyasagar Sonkar are in the race. Call it a coincidence, the UP BJP, in recent years, elected OBC state presidents just before state elections. It was Keshav Maurya before 2017 and Swatantra Dev Singh before 2022. The incumbent state president, Bhupendra Chaudhary, a Jat, was appointed by the party in 2022 after Swatantra Dev was inducted into the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. Chaudhary's tenure ended earlier this year. A senior BJP leader affirmed that the party sought to push a prominent OBC or Dalit leader who could steer the party's poll prospects and help in the consolidation of non-Yadav, non-Jatav vote banks. "The party leadership will take its time in appointing the most suitable candidate. Nevertheless, the organisation is being run at a smooth pace," said UP BJP spokesperson Hero Bajpai. Experts asserted that the appointment of the UP BJP president was not merely about filling a post. It was being positioned as a high-stakes move to reshape caste equations, reclaim the narrative, and reassert the BJP's relevance in a state where caste factors prominently in determining electoral destiny. The choice of a new state chief also represents a broader political recalibration in response to the party's 2024 Lok Sabha setbacks, particularly in the caste-sensitive terrain of UP. Analysts said that the Samajwadi Party's PDA formula successfully disrupted the BJP's dominance by forging a bottom-up caste coalition that resonated on the ground. "It is all about symbolism. The caste of the next BJP state president is expected to serve as a signal to key voter groups who are valued as key stakeholders in the BJP's power structure," an analyst said. He said that by installing a leader from the 'P-D' (Pichhda–Dalit) communities, the BJP may potentially seek to fracture the PDA axis around which the SP and allies seek to consolidate their position. A senior BJP leader said that the 2025 panchayat elections will serve as a testing ground for the BJP's new social engineering. The leadership pick will also influence the 2027 assembly election narrative, particularly if the BJP attempts a Pasmanda Muslim outreach alongside its P-D formula.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP plans to redefine ‘PDA' to pitch for caste unity in UP
1 2 Lucknow: After promising caste enumeration in the next census, the BJP is working on a strategy to redefine the 'PDA' — from the opposition's 'Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak' (Backward, Dalit, Minority) to its own version of 'Pichhda, Dalit, Agda' (Backward, Dalit, Upper Caste). BJP sources said the move might help the party counter the opposition's PDA narrative, which is said to have dented the saffron outfit electorally in UP during the 2024 LS polls. The party has already started working on the strategy by bringing together OBC, SC, and upper caste on various platforms to send out a message of caste unity among the Hindu community. Sources said a beginning was made during the birth anniversary celebrations of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar when the party asked its upper caste functionaries to collaborate with their Dalit counterparts in cleaning the statues of Ambedkar in far-flung Dalit-dominated hamlets. This has now turned even more prominent with the state general secretary (organisation) Dharampal Singh, an OBC, holding a convention of the members of SC community while inviting prominent upper caste functionaries to the event. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo UP BJP SC Morcha chief Ram Chandra Kannaujia said the Dalit community was largely a "confused group", easily swayed by political parties. "Bringing them together with the upper caste will not only make Dalits emboldened but also send out a message of unity within the otherwise caste-divided Hindu community," he told TOI on Monday. He said the anti-upper caste perception prevailing among Dalits should be negated to build a cohesive society, as perceived by the party's ideology. According to experts, BJP's attempt to redefine 'PDA' will be a clear strategic pivot in caste-based electoral politics, especially in UP. BJP's covert messaging through the formulation of its own 'PDA' could help the party neutralise the opposition's aggressive narrative that aimed to consolidate OBC, Dalit, and the minorities, they added. Known for capitalising on its traditional minority vote back, the SP played up the OBC-Dalit consolidation plank by releasing a picture of Ambedkar replacing half of his face with party chief Akhilesh Yadav, a development that evoked a sharp response from the BJP. Sources said the BJP was trying to remind the Dalit community about the alleged "atrocities" it faced under the SP govt. Analysts said that the opposition, especially under the INDIA bloc, gained traction among OBCs and Dalits by painting the BJP as favouring upper castes and neglecting backward/minority communities. By co-opting and redefining 'PDA', the BJP could neutralise that edge. Notably, the BJP's version of 'PDA' drops 'Alpsankhyak' (minorities), signalling its focus on Hindu social coalition and a strategic sidestepping of Muslim appeasement allegations — something the party often leverages in its poll messaging. BJP's move to re-frame PDA draws similarity with BSP chief Mayawati's social engineering formula — comprising an amalgamation of Brahmins with Dalits — which catapulted it to power with an absolute majority in 2007.
