Uttar Pradesh: BJP and the Mobilisation of Dalits and OBCs

The 2024 election result in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was a shock for the BJP. The party had expected to increase its vote share significantly but instead, its support fell, and it was beaten by the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance when it came to parliamentary seats. This setback was particularly painful and humiliating as UP is the most populous state in India by far and it was also the epicentre of the party's rise to national prominence. The mass movement for tearing down the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya in UP and building a Ram temple in its place propelled the BJP to power in the state in 1991, and the violent attack and demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 enabled it to break through on the national stage. The article discusses the election results and the wider BJP strategy in UP. This leads to an analysis of longer-term political interests and strategies of different social groups, and how this matters for Hindutva in the long run. The main focus will be on Dalits and other oppressed social groups.