Ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the BJP's Scheduled Caste wing has prepared a year-long calendar for statewide events marking the birth and death anniversaries of over a dozen icons from Dalit and tribal communities. The initiative aims to build trust among Dalit voters. The party will also highlight welfare work for SCs and STs by the Modi and Yogi Adityanath governments during these events.
The ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh is intensifying efforts to connect with Dalit and tribal voters ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. The party's Scheduled Caste wing has outlined a year-long calendar featuring statewide programs to commemorate the birth and death anniversaries of more than a dozen prominent social reformers from SC and ST communities, including B R Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram, and Birsa Munda.
The list encompasses figures such as Ramabai Ambedkar, Savitribai Phule, Sant Gadge Maharaj, Swami Achhootanand, Jhalkari Bai, Durbal Maharaj, Sant Ravidas, Uda Devi, Birsa Munda, and Tilka Manjhi. Ram Chandra Kanojia, president of the UP BJP SC Morcha, stated, “We have to win the trust of the Dalit community and other weaker sections and foster a sense of affinity with others (upper castes and OBCs). With that objective, the party will organise grand programmes across the state to pay tributes to these icons and discuss their contribution to society.”
The calendars have been distributed to district units. The first event will celebrate Sant Gadge Maharaj's birth anniversary on February 23. For Kanshi Ram's birth anniversary on March 15, the focus will be on how he guided oppressed communities to demand rights and form their own government.
The BJP's concerns stem from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where its seats in Uttar Pradesh declined compared to 2019, with Dalit votes shifting to the SP-Congress alliance amid fears over the Constitution raised by the opposition's narrative against the NDA's 'ab ki baar, 400 paar' slogan. The party now seeks to recalibrate social dynamics to secure a third term in power.
