The Samajwadi Party (SP) is intensifying its efforts to secure a significant portion of the Dalit vote in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. A key component of this strategy involves fielding Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates in 14 general constituencies, thereby increasing the total number of reserved candidates to at least 100. This includes 84 seats reserved for SCs and two for Scheduled Tribes (STs). The initiative aims to strengthen the party's PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) coalition, which focuses on backward classes, Dalits, and minorities.
Sources within the SP indicate that the decision to field Dalit candidates in unreserved seats is a strategic move to engage Uttar Pradesh's Dalit community. This community is expected to play a pivotal role in the upcoming elections, especially as the traditional party representing them, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by Mayawati, has seen a decline in its influence within the state's political landscape.
An SP insider stated, "We are working on zeroing in on candidates from Dalit communities who can contest on general seats. While our target is to give 100 seats to the community, it will depend on suitable and strong candidates. The general seats where we are likely to give Dalit candidates tickets are those where the SP is not too strong."
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the SP had already taken steps in this direction by fielding two Dalit candidates in general constituencies: Awadhesh Prasad in Faizabad and Sunita Verma in Meerut. While Prasad secured a victory in Faizabad, Verma narrowly lost to the BJP's Arun Govil in Meerut by a margin of 10,585 votes. These experiences have informed the party's current approach, aiming to build a narrative that the SP is committed to providing SCs with greater representation beyond the reserved seats.
A senior SP leader remarked, "The idea behind the decision is to help build a narrative that the SP is willing to give SCs a larger share than the reserved seats. We had done this in the 2024 general elections too, and it had worked for us."
Beyond appealing to the Dalit community, this strategy also seeks to reshape the SP's image, moving away from being perceived solely as a Yadav-Muslim party. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party fielded five Yadav candidates, all from the Yadav family led by Akhilesh Yadav, and four Muslim candidates out of the total 62 candidates. All nine won their respective seats, and seven Dalit candidates, apart from Verma and Prasad, also secured victories. This success has encouraged the SP to further diversify its candidate base.
The SP's efforts to court Dalit voters are part of a broader trend in Uttar Pradesh's political landscape. The BSP, once the dominant party among Dalits, has experienced a significant decline. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the BSP secured only one seat with a vote share of 12.88%, a sharp drop from 19 seats and a 22.23% vote share in 2017. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw the BSP failing to win a single seat, with its vote share further declining to 9.4% from 19.43% in 2019. This erosion of the BSP's base has created an opportunity for other parties, including the SP, to appeal to Dalit voters.
In response to this shifting dynamic, the SP, along with its ally Congress, has intensified efforts to attract Dalit support. Both parties are working to fill the vacuum left by the BSP's diminishing influence. The BJP has also been active in reaching out to Dalit voters, with its recent Cabinet expansion reflecting a strategic move to balance social and political considerations, reinforcing its outreach among non-Yadav OBCs and Dalits.
SP leaders express confidence in securing a substantial portion of Dalit votes. The party's PDA coalition, which emphasizes the inclusion of backward classes, Dalits, and minorities, has yielded positive results in previous elections. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the alliance secured 43 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. A senior party leader noted that Akhilesh Yadav has been advising Yadav and Muslim leaders to adhere to the 2024 formula, suggesting that the party will not allocate too many tickets to these communities. The leader added that once the government is formed, leaders from these communities will be accommodated through the Legislative Council route.
Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman, an SP leader from the Dalit community, expressed optimism about the party's prospects among Dalit voters. He stated, "I don't want to criticise the BSP, but people in UP have understood that the BSP is eventually going to help the BJP. In the current political scenario, a party can't sit back and expect votes – something the BSP is doing. We will be getting the anti-BJP vote from the Dalit community. The Dalits have realised that the BJP's and RSS's inherent mindset is anti-Dalit, which is reflected in their Manuvadi agenda."
Akhilesh Yadav has also been vocal in his criticism of the BSP, urging Dalit voters to reconsider their support for the party. At a recent public interaction, he appealed to the Dalit community, stating, "Whether they (BSP) are with the BJP directly or through the back door, I appeal to you that voting for BSP means wasting your votes."
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