The Uttar Pradesh Assembly election is still months away, but political activity has already intensified. Every major party has started reaching beyond its traditional support base to strengthen its position before the 2027 polls.
At the moment, the state’s political focus has shifted squarely to the Dalit factor. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made it one of its top priorities after the 2024 Lok Sabha election exposed signs of erosion in its Dalit support. The opposition, especially the Samajwadi Party (SP), benefited from that shift. This time, the BJP wants to avoid repeating the same mistake.
The Yogi Adityanath government has now rolled out a major initiative that political observers see as part of its broader effort to reconnect with Dalit voters.
Yogi Government Announces ₹407 Crore Memorial Revamp
The Uttar Pradesh government has earmarked ₹407 crore to restore, protect and beautify statues and memorials dedicated to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and other Dalit icons across the state.
Under the scheme, the government will renovate 10 Ambedkar memorials in every Assembly constituency. It will also construct boundary walls around statues and memorial sites to improve their security.
The project goes beyond Ambedkar memorials. It also includes sites dedicated to Sant Ravidas, Sant Kabir, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Maharishi Valmiki, reflecting a wider outreach to different sections of the Dalit community.
Why the Dalit Vote Matters in Uttar Pradesh
Dalits, classified as Scheduled Castes, make up nearly 21–22% of Uttar Pradesh’s population. Their vote plays a decisive role not only in the state’s 85 reserved Assembly constituencies but also influences the outcome in more than 140 general seats.
The state’s Dalit population includes several major communities:
- Jatavs account for around 11% of the total Dalit population and remain the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) traditional core support base.
- Non-Jatav communities include Pasis (around 15.8%), Koris, Dhobis, Valmikis and several other groups.
- In Bundelkhand, districts such as Jhansi, Jalaun, Auraiya and Chitrakoot have a Dalit population exceeding 25 %.
- In western Uttar Pradesh, Dalits hold significant influence in districts like Bijnor (20.94%), Agra (21.78%) and Saharanpur (21.73%).
- Eastern districts such as Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Mirzapur and Chandauli also have a sizeable Dalit electorate.
Challenge for SP and BSP
After its strong performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has continued to sharpen his PDA (Backward, Dalit and Minority) strategy. The SP won seven of the 17 reserved Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and now aims to retain that momentum by focusing on caste census, social justice and reservation issues.
The Congress has also stepped up its Dalit outreach. It appointed Rajendra Pal Gautam, a prominent Dalit leader, as the party’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge to send a clear political message.
Meanwhile, BSP chief Mayawati has become more active after years of limited political engagement. She has renewed efforts to consolidate the party’s traditional Dalit support base. However, the Yogi government’s latest outreach has intensified competition for the same voter segment.
RSS and BJP Step Up Grassroots Campaign
The BJP is not relying only on government initiatives. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also expanded its grassroots campaign around the idea of social harmony.
Through initiatives such as “One Well, One Cremation Ground,” the organisation aims to reduce caste-based discrimination and promote social integration at the village level.
With the 2027 Assembly election approaching, the battle for Uttar Pradesh’s influential Dalit vote has already become one of the defining political contests in the state.
