Labharthi, the millions of beneficiary of the welfare schemes during the last over five years has emerged the powerful voting block in Uttar Pradesh. This block has altered the electoral mathematics of political parties pursuing caste based identity politics for last over three decades. The scheme are dwelling unit, toilet, LPG connection, tapped water supply connection, electricity supply , health insurance (Ayushman Bharat) and annual payment of Rs 6,000 to farmers under PM Kisan Samman Yojna- all free. Besides free distribution of food grains- wheat and rice from April 1, 2020, which has now been extended till 2029.
Samajwadi party is particularly feeling the heat of the silent change at the grassroots level as the welfare schemes have turned the caste to class. Samajwadi party in last 10 years has faced defeat from the BJP in 2014 , 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 2027 and 2022 UP assembly elections.
SP tried many permutations and combinations of alliance first with the Congress in 2017 UP assembly election and later with Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and with small caste based political parties in 2022 UP assembly election.
Samajwadi party after a gap of seven years has again joined hands with the Congress for Lok Sabha elections. In 2017 UP assembly elections, SP had forged alliance with the Congress, which had ended in a disaster for both the parties.
The 2022 alliance with small political parties did help the SP to raise its vote share and take the number of seats to 111 in a house of 403, the alliance collapsed soon after the elections. SP has already floated new slogan PDA (Pichda, dalit ,alpsankhyak) to assert its claim as the party representing the interests of the disadvantaged sections of society.
``Samajwadi party is yet to rise above the traditional approach towards electoral politics. The caste based identity politics is not delivering the political dividends for the party as it did a decade ago. Caste remains integral part of the electoral politics . Prime minister Narendra Modi has not ignored the caste dynamics. With successful implementation of the welfare schemes PM has created four classes out of caste--Women, youth, marginal farmer and poor. This has resulted in caste getting amalgamated with class and it has created new aggregate’’, said political analyst Dr A K Verma.
``The BJP by ensuring effective delivery of the benefits of the welfare schemes has benefitted the people cutting across the caste and creed. The beneficiaries are no longer keen to retain their caste identity as they used to do two decade ago. It’s getting increasingly difficult for the non BJP parties to prevent the caste from turning to class’’, said Verma adding `` all non BJP parties are refusing to recognise the change in the ground reality. Even if they know it, they are clueless how to wriggle out of the situation created by the BJP at the ground zero’’.
