In the recent Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, statistical analysis by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies shows that a significant section among the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) backed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), thus making the party a formidable force in democratic battles. It is an important development as just a decade ago, the BJP was often cornered by the Opposition as being the party of the social elites. With the arrival of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India, there has been an elevation of the party as one for the socially marginalised Hindu masses — a phenomenon now understood under the ‘Subaltern Hindutva’ rubric.
In north India’s Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Chhattisgarh, the BJP is now a dominant political force. These are also the States where the population of OBCs, SCs and the STs is above the national average. In the last two decades, the BJP has successfully mobilised these groups through innovative political strategies and by curating influential cultural events. However, the actual benefits of economic developments and political change have been overtly controlled by the conventional social elites, a development that often relegates the Dalit-Bahujan masses as passive peripheral spectators in the rapid elevation of the right-wing. With the general election to be held next year, the party should address the issues of social discrimination and economic injustice more sensitively.
