In 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Bahujan Samaj Party that originated from a rare Dalit movement in North India in 1984, reached its lowest ebb winning just one seat and garnering merely 12.9 per cent votes. With the general elections less than a year away it raises an important question, what is the future for BSP and Dalit politics in Uttar Pradesh. In this episode, we speak to the authors- Professor Sudha Pai and political scientist Sajjan Kumar about their new book - Maya, Modi, Azad- Dalit Politics In The Time of Hindutva. The book analyses the reasons for the BSP’s decline, whether and why Dalit voters are attracted to the BJP. It also raises the all-important question - are we in a post-BSP phase in Uttar Pradesh and what is the future of Dalit politics in the state?
Guests:
Professor Sudha Pai: She retired as Professor of Political Science from Jawaharlal Nehru University and is renowned for her work on Dalit politics.
Sajjan Kumar: Is a political scientist and is currently a fellow at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
Host: Sobhana K. Nair
Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.
Listen to more On Books podcasts:
