BJP To Use Hindutva Agenda To Counter Akhilesh Yadav's PDA: RSS Carves Out Strategy For Uttar Pradesh Bye-Polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological guide Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) held a meeting in Lucknow on Thursday (14 November) for the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly bye-polls.

Reportedly, it was decided to use the Hindutva agenda against the main rival Samajwadi Party's (SP) PDA that aims to broaden the Akhilesh Yadav-led party's vote base to Backwards (Picchde), Dalits, Adivasis and Alpasankhyak (minorities).

It is believed that due to the PDA outreach, the SP made inroads into BJP's Backward and Dalit vote bank, outperforming the ruling party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by winning 37 seats, compared to BJP's 33, down from 62 in 2019.

Since then, the RSS has been actively involved with the BJP to improve the party's electoral performance. In the meeting, it was decided that the RSS will make special efforts in four seats where the BJP is facing tough a fight.

Nine assembly seats are going for bye-polls. Three of them were held by the BJP and two by its allies NISHAD party and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), while four were held by the SP.

The RSS will make last-minute efforts in these four seats only. They are Katehari in Ambedkar Nagar, Sisamau in Kanpur, Kundarki in Moradabad and Karhal in Mainpuri vacated by Akhilesh Yadav.

The RSS was represented by Sah-Sarkaryavah Arun Kumar and Awadh's Prant Pracharak Kaushal Kumari in the meeting while BJP's UP president Bhupendra Chaudhary and general secretary (organisation) Dharam Pal represented the party.

To push forward the Hindutva agenda, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's 'Batenge to katenge' and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ek hain to safe hain' slogans will be used and votes of all castes will be consolidated.

RSS will also make door-to-door outreach to bring voters to the polling booth. Along with campaigning and polarisation of Hindu votes, the RSS is also careful about setting the caste equations in favour of the BJP.