Ahead of assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing to expand its outreach among smaller caste groups within the Other Backward Classes (OBC). From November, ministers, senior party leaders and organisational functionaries are expected to conduct outreach campaigns across assembly constituencies to strengthen the party’s engagement with these communities.
The initiative aims to reach communities that have received relatively limited political representation or organisational engagement. The party is preparing to assign OBC leaders active at the state and national levels to different assembly constituencies as part of the proposed campaign.
The BJP is working on a strategy to strengthen its presence among OBC communities ahead of assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh. The focus is on smaller castes and sub-castes whose voter bases are relatively limited in individual assembly constituencies.
Amarpal Maurya, national president of the BJP’s OBC Morcha and a Rajya Sabha member, has initiated organisational efforts in this direction. A meeting held in Lucknow discussed plans to expand outreach among different groups within the backward classes. Under the proposed arrangement, OBC leaders active at the state and national levels may be assigned responsibilities in different assembly constituencies.
The party is expected to release a list of the leaders selected for the initiative. Under the proposed programme, leaders and organisational functionaries will engage directly with local communities to understand their issues and expectations.
Under the BJP’s plan, ministers from backward communities and senior organisational functionaries are expected to become active across different regions from November. The party is also preparing to increase the participation of OBC leaders in its Vistaraks, or organisational outreach workers, campaign.
According to the party’s assessment, Uttar Pradesh has more than 75 OBC castes, of which over 30 have voter populations exceeding 5,000 in several assembly constituencies. Smaller caste groups may also play a role in electoral calculations.
The BJP has so far focused on consolidating its support among communities such as Maurya, Kurmi, Kushwaha, Lodh, Kashyap, Nishad, Rajbhar, Saini, Pal and Prajapati. However, some of these groups have expressed dissatisfaction from time to time. Against this backdrop, the party is seeking to extend its outreach to smaller communities while maintaining broader support among OBC voters.
OBC voters have been an important component of the BJP’s electoral strategy in Uttar Pradesh. Support from this segment played a role in the party’s performance across elections held between 2014 and 2024. However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s seat tally in Uttar Pradesh fell to 33 from 62 in 2019.
During this period, the Samajwadi Party emphasised its PDA strategy, aimed at bringing together backward classes, Dalits and minorities. Following the election results, the BJP also began placing greater emphasis on caste representation within its organisation and leadership.
As part of these efforts, the party appointed a leader from the Kurmi community as its state president. It also sought to account for OBC representation at various levels of the state cabinet and party organisation. In addition, the BJP increased its focus on programmes and activities associated with prominent historical figures from OBC communities.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is also seeking to strengthen his party’s support among OBC and Scheduled Caste communities in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP’s latest initiative comes amid efforts by both parties to consolidate support among different caste groups in the state.
The BJP aims to establish regular contact with communities that have expressed dissatisfaction over what they perceive as inadequate representation in the party’s existing caste equations. The proposed measures include assigning senior leaders responsibilities for specific regions and intensifying organisational activities.
The electoral impact of the strategy remains to be seen. For now, the BJP’s focus is on expanding outreach among smaller caste groups, understanding local issues and strengthening organisational engagement with OBC communities.
