After the grand opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expected a resounding victory in the Lok Sabha polls, especially in heartland Uttar Pradesh.
But with five phases of voting completed, and the focus shifting to Eastern UP, the election is no longer a foregone conclusion.
BJP had swept most of Eastern UP in 2019, but the 'Modi magic' seems to be wearing off in the region, with increasing interest in developmental issues.
The INDIA bloc, led by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in the state, has seized this opportunity. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Gandhi siblings Rahul and Priyanka have relentlessly raised the issues of unemployment and inflation at every rally.
Large parts of Eastern UP are backward and poverty-stricken. In the hope of winning over these voters, Akhilesh has stitched together the PDA (Pichada, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) strategy. The SP chief hopes to expand his support base from the controversial Muslim-Yadav vote bank with the rainbow coalition of OBCs, Scheduled Castes and minorities.
Traditionally, Dalits have voted for the BSP, and the non-Yadav OBCs for the BJP. With BSP no longer a serious contender, and BJP doubling-down on Hindutva politics, Akhilesh is positioning himself as a warrior for social justice.
Thus the warning that BJP plans to change the Constitution and take away their rights, and the promise to remove the 50 per cent cap on reservations.
However, the saffron party claims it's the SP and the Congress that wants to change the Constitution, by introducing religion-based reservations for the Muslim population.
By underscoring the Hindu-Muslim poll plank, the BJP signals confidence that 'Ram' will get them over the finish line.