Dalit Vote: BJP's Divide And Win Strategy?

Tonight, the battle for the Dalit vote from Bundelkhand - the neglected region of Uttar Pradesh with a high percentage of Dalits. It's with an eye on this vote, that parties are outdoing themselves to pay homage today on the anniversary of Guru Ravidas, the 16th century saint. From the PM to the UP Chief Minister, making inroads into the Dalit vote has been crucial in powering the BJP to victory in 2017, the party winning 69 of the state's 84 reserved SC seats. Given the traditional dominance of Mayawati's BSP on the Dalit vote, key to the BJP's strategy has been to target Dalit sub castes that feel side-lined by the BSP. Dalits make up about 20 per cent of UP's population of which half - 10 per cent are Jatav sub caste, loyal to the BSP. It's the remaining 10 per cent non-Jatav Dalits, made up of sub castes like Valmikis, Khateeks, Pasis, and so on, that the BJP has cultivated that helped the BJP sweep the Bundelkhand region, winning all 19 of the seats in this region. But can they repeat the magic?