The first phase of the seven-phase election of India’s most populated state, UP, has been completed and its second phase is going to take place today. The ruling BJP has been facing a daunting challenge to maintain its control over this state which had catapulted it to power in the 2017 state elections, enabling it to make an almost clean sweep in a state which was then in the grip of severe communal tensions following the 2013 Muzaffarnagar (western UP) communal riots in which Muslims were the principal victims.

The party owed its success in UP to its brand divisive politics or its ‘80 percent Hindus-20 percent Muslims strategy’ which still revolves round bashing of ‘Jinnah, Muslims and Pakistan’. Its adversaries, particularly Samajwadi Party, are in a strong position to fare better in this election owing to a variety of reasons. It is increasingly clear that BJP-RSS combine will find it extremely difficult to regain power in a state where Yadhav-Jaat-Muslim-others alliance too has a chance to form a coalition government by winning the required number of seats.

Mehdi Hasan (Lahore)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022