• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. Akhilesh Yadav changed the colour of the dress of Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha
  2. Move could be a direction towards luring in the Dalit voters
  3. The Samajwadi Party is now attempting to appease the Dalit voters

UP Politics: With just a few months remaining in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Akhilesh Yadav changed the colour of the dress of Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, students wing of the Samajwadi Party, to blue. While it may seem a routine change, Akhilesh Yadav's move could be a direction towards luring in the Dalit voters. The Mayawati-led BSP has been receiving the biggest share of the Dalit votes over the decades. However, with a continuous sharp fall in BSP's vote share, a vacuum has developed, leading to efforts from all the prominent parties.

Akhilesh's Strategic Move

The Samajwadi Party has been receiving the major chunk of votes of the Yadav and Muslim communities for the past several elections. However, the Akhilesh Yadav-led party has been trying to add new voter base under its arsenal as both the communities jointly account for around 30 per cent vote share, insufficient to bring the party back to power.

With a significant fall in the vote share of BSP, the Samajwadi Party is now attempting to appease the Dalit voters, which account for nearly 20 per cent. While the Jaatav voters have voted for Mayawati's party in the recent polls, the non-Jatav voters have voted for different parties.

ALSO READ: UP Polls: Akhilesh Yadav Eyes 'Gurjar-Pal-Baghel' Equation As Jayant Persists On Jat Voter Base

The Fight For Dalit Votes

The BJP emerged as the single largest party and gained significant vote share of Dalits in the 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2024 polls. However, it faced a major setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, primarily due to losing the Dalit vote base. As per a post-poll survey of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)-Lokniti, the INDIA bloc got 56 per cent of the non-Jatav and 25 per cent of Jatav Dalit votes, making the SP single largest party.

However, through its beneficiary schemes, the ruling BJP is also attempting to gain back its lost voters to ensure a hattrick of victories in the UP assembly polls.

ALSO READ: UP Polls: Can 'Dimple' Factor End Samajwadi Party's Victory Drought? A Look At Akhilesh Yadav's Strategy 


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