Uttar Pradesh BJP to learn from poll mistakes, to woo back SC, ST, OBC

LUCKNOW: BJP's poor show in the Lok Sabha polls in UP resulted from party's overdependence on the popularity of PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath and its failure to gauge the underlying anger against some sitting MPs, BJP's poll review has revealed.
Party's slogan "Abki baar 400 paar" too could not be explained precisely to the electorate even as the opposition drummed up the narrative of "Constitution under threat" to consolidate the minority vote, while making heavy inroads into OBC and dalit communities."The overdependence on Modi-Yogi's charisma and the slogan boomeranged," a senior BJP functionary told party national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, who was on a two-day visit to Lucknow recently.
Even committed workers felt neglected and turned inactive at indiscriminate nomination of functionaries from other parties as poll candidates, said a senior party source.
BJP won just 33 seats in the LS polls against 62 in 2019 in UP, prompting the party brass to plan a fresh poll strategy to win back OBC and SC/ST vote, accounting for 70% of the electorate, to counter SP's poll narrative of PDA: Pichhda (OBC), dalit, and Alpsankhyak (minority).
UP BJP SC/ST Morcha chief Ram Chandra Kannaujia said the party would initiate a drive to consolidate dalits and OBCs. SC/ST ministers would start camping in dalit-dominated pockets, he said.
Dalit leaders in the party stressed on giving adequate representation to various SC sub-castes in the Rajya Sabha and legislative council. Out of 24 Rajya Sabha MPs from UP, only two Mithlesh Kumar and Brij Lal are dalit. Likewise, in legislative council, only two Lalji Nirmal and Surendra Chaudhary out of 79 BJP MLCs are dalit.