Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Elections 2019 / Lok Sabha Elections 2019/  Opinion: Bundelkhand set for a complex electoral battle
BackBack

Opinion: Bundelkhand set for a complex electoral battle

BJP supporters are confident of their party’s win in the name of Modi and welfare projects

Mulayam Singh Yadav, his son Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati at election rally. Photo: PTIPremium
Mulayam Singh Yadav, his son Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati at election rally. Photo: PTI

The 17th Lok Sabha polls have entered their fourth phase. In Bundelkhand region, where polling is to take place in the fourth phase (except Banda), there is a sizeable presence of lower caste voters along with other backward classes (OBCs), whom the alliance Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal is trying to woo.

The Congress party is fighting a lone battle but it has been lying comatose for almost 30 years and its chances of winning any seats in Bundelkhand look distant. On the other hand, the BJP is working hard to capitalize on the popularity of Modi and various developmental schemes that the government has initiated.

Bundelkhand being a backward zone of Uttar Pradesh largely follows the same electoral trends as the rest of the state. It comprises four parliamentary constituencies of Jhansi, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun covering seven districts—Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda and Chitrakoot.

Traditionally, Bundelkhand has been a bastion of the SP-BSP but in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP on its lofty development promise of acche din, swept the elections winning all four seats, polling 44.86% votes. Since the region is small, there is always a possibility of a swing in favour of one or another party. The question is, will BJP be able to retain its hold on Bundelkhand?

In 2019, electoral arithmetic has changed with the alliance of SP and BSP. In 2014 the SP-BSP’s combined vote was only 100,000 less than BJP’s which is a very thin margin and since they are contesting together, it may adversely affect the chances of the BJP.

However, BJP supporters are confident of the party’s victory once again in the name of Modi and the developmental projects like Bundelkhand Expressway, Bundelkhand Development Board, Defence Corridor from Jhansi to Agra, 9,000 crore piped water supply scheme for drinking water, and Amrit Yojana for Jhansi district.

The BJP also continues to maintain its hold among upper castes and the non-Yadav OBCs. Similarly, the party has support of the upper and middle-income class. However, the agrarian crisis and mass migration remain key issues in this region along with the menace of stray cattle. For the local public, farm loans, electricity, water, employment, etc. remain an issue.

The region has considerable number of SC voters followed by OBCs, Thakurs, and Brahmins. Muslims have a very marginal presence in this region. Bundelkhand witnessed considerable social churn once BSP made its entry in UP politics and Kansiram and Mayawati played a crucial role in altering the political landscape of the region. However, it could not retain its hold among the SCs as it offered ticket to general category candidates and also to the wealthy by denying the legitimate claims of the community.

SP, being in a strong organizational position, is managing mobilization in all four constituencies. BSP on its own may find it difficult to win as it suffers from poor organization and infighting. It gets compensated by the support of its core voters like Jatavs.

In all, it can be said that the battle in electoral politics of Bundelkhand is going to be a complex one and the BSP-SP alliance may pose a stiff challenge for the BJP.

Shashikant Pandey is a professor in the department of political science at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 25 Apr 2019, 12:24 AM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App