In Uttar Pradesh politics, the Dalit vote bank has always played the role of kingmaker. This is the reason why the competition to capture this community intensifies in every election. Now the Samajwadi Party (SP) has adopted a new tactic to woo the Dalits: “Vote theft”. Under the direction of Akhilesh Yadav, the party has fully active its major organization, Ambedkar Vahini. Its goal is to take advantage of the BSP’s weak presence and make political penetration among the Dalits.
National President Mitha Lal Bharti says, “We are going from village to village about their rights and explaining that their votes are being stolen in elections. This time we will have to guard every booth so that the voice of Dalits is not suppressed.” Giving the example of campaigning in districts like Ghazipur and Chandauli, Bharti said, “We are going door-to-door of Dalits to protect the constitution and reservation and stop theft.”
SP’s attack on BJP
This campaign of SP is directly attacking BJP. Party leaders allege that the ruling party misuses electoral machinery to weaken the political strength of Dalits. Meanwhile, the falling credibility of the BSP has presented a big opportunity for the SP. This is the reason that the SP is using “vote theft” as an electoral weapon to further strengthen the PDA (Backward, Dalit, Minority) alliance. Political analysts believe that this strategy can create difficulties for both BJP and BSP.
What did the senior analyst say?
Senior analyst Virendra Singh Rawat says that after “Save the Constitution” and “Save Reservation”, “Save the vote” is becoming the biggest slogan among the Dalits. By promoting this, the SP is trying to become a new center of Dalit politics. This is a great opportunity to fill the emptiness arising out of Mayawati’s weak grip.
Actually, the Congress raised the issue of vote theft in Bihar elections. Rahul Gandhi united opposition parties by making it a weapon. Akhilesh Yadav has implemented the same agenda in Uttar Pradesh. Now the entire focus of the SP is on organizing Dalits at the booth level and uniting them against the BJP. It is clear that “vote theft” has become a new slogan in Dalit circles. The 2027 elections will decide what will be the effect of this slogan in the electoral fray.
