Election results crucial for BJP and SP in final phase of Lok Sabha polls

Lucknow: The final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for June 1, will be a critical juncture for the main political contenders in Uttar Pradesh—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP). This phase involves polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh, a region where caste-based identity politics play a significant role.

The sixth and seventh phases of the elections, encompassing 27 Lok Sabha seats and 135 Assembly seats in the Poorvanchal region, reflect the prominence of caste dynamics, particularly the influence of ‘ati pichri’ or most backward castes. The BJP’s strategic outreach to these communities since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections has yielded significant electoral gains in the 2017 and 2022 state Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

However, the BJP faced setbacks in the March 2022 UP Assembly elections. The SP’s alliance with small caste-based parties representing most backward castes increased its tally from 47 seats in 2017 to 111 seats in 2022. These alliances included the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), Janvadi Socialist Party, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), and

Mahan Dal.