Stories
BJP's MLC Election Bet on Brahmin-Rajput: Will 2027 Follow Suit?
- •Amidst the buzz of the 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the upcoming elections for 11 teacher and graduate seats in the Legislative Council (MLC) have raised the political temperature.
- •While SP focuses on its PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) model, BJP has strategically bet on Brahmin and Rajput-Thakur faces to consolidate its core upper-caste vote bank.
- •BJP has fielded Kedar Nath Singh (Rajput) from the Varanasi graduate seat and Pramod Mishra (Brahmin) from the Varanasi teacher seat.
- •Engineer Hari Kishor Tripathi (Brahmin) from Agra teacher seat and Dhruv Tripathi (Brahmin) from Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher seat have been given tickets by BJP.
- •After the 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw a partial shift in BJP's backward vote bank and reports of upper-caste resentment, BJP is attempting to address these concerns in the MLC elections.
Key Questions Answered
While the Samajwadi Party is sticking to its PDA social engineering model focusing on backward classes, Dalits, and minorities, the BJP has adopted a strategy to consolidate its core upper-caste vote bank by placing a big bet on Brahmin and Rajput-Thakur faces for the 11 teacher and graduate seats in the Legislative Council.
The BJP fielded Rajput candidate Kedar Nath Singh from the Varanasi graduate seat, and Brahmin candidates Pramod Mishra, Engineer Hari Kishor Tripathi, and Dhruv Tripathi from the Varanasi, Agra, and Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher seats respectively. Additionally, they nominated Dinesh Goyal from the Vaishya community for the Meerut graduate seat and Ashok Kumar Rathore from the OBC community for the Allahabad-Jhansi graduate seat.
Following a partial shift in its backward and extremely backward vote bank and reported upper-caste resentment during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is using the MLC elections to address Brahmin and Rajput grievances. By ensuring strong representation in these teacher and graduate segments where upper castes play a decisive role, the party aims to maintain its traditional voter alliance ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.
