Lucknow: Amid growing speculation over a possible expansion of the Yogi Adityanath cabinet and a reshuffle in the Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organisation, the ruling party is preparing to sharpen its focus on Dalits and women, two crucial electoral constituencies, as it gears up for the upcoming panchayat elections and the 2027 assembly polls.
Senior party functionaries indicated that the BJP leadership is actively considering elevating a prominent Dalit face in the state cabinet to strengthen outreach to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. At present, Dalits account for a little over 16% of the UP council of ministers, which has 54 members. This includes two cabinet ministers, Baby Rani Maurya and Anil Kumar, two ministers of state with independent charge, Gulab Devi and Asim Arun, and five ministers of state, namely Dinesh Khatik, Sanjiv Gond, Manohar Kori, Suresh Rahi and Vijay Laxmi Gautam.
The existing representation is viewed within the party as relatively modest, considering that Scheduled Castes constitute around 21% of Uttar Pradesh’s population. Sources said a cabinet expansion, permissible up to a strength of 60 ministers, could see greater weightage being accorded to Dalit leaders. However, insiders suggest that the strategy may go beyond mere numerical addition. The leadership is also weighing enhanced visibility, more influential portfolios, or sharper political positioning for Dalit ministers to ensure stronger electoral traction.
The recalibration comes in the backdrop of the BJP’s underwhelming performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, where its tally fell sharply from 62 seats in 2019 to 33. Party strategists believe that the existing representation did not sufficiently resonate with non-Jatav Dalits and first-time voters, leaving space for opposition mobilisation.
The move is also seen as a counter to the Samajwadi Party’s PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) narrative, which seeks to consolidate backward classes, Dalits and minorities by foregrounding issues of social justice and alleged marginalisation.
Parallel to cabinet-level changes, the BJP is also contemplating a stronger Dalit presence in its state organisational structure. Currently, only eight of the 45 members of the UP BJP state unit are from the Dalit community, leaving room for further inclusion. Political experts point out that organisational reshuffles often have a deeper and more sustained electoral impact than cabinet changes, as they directly influence cadre mobilisation, booth-level management and grievance redressal, particularly in rural and semi-rural areas where panchayat polls are imminent.
The renewed focus follows the recent appointment of Union minister and seven-time MP Pankaj Chaudhary, a Kurmi leader, as the new UP BJP president, signalling a broader attempt to recalibrate the party’s social coalition.
Women, too, are expected to gain prominence in both governance and organisational roles. Analysts say this would help reinforce the BJP’s welfare-centric governance narrative, built around schemes such as Ujjwala Yojana, PM Awas Yojana and Mission Shakti, which have found considerable resonance among women voters in recent elections.
