LUCKNOW, May 24 -- Only a few days after the Modi government announced its decision to hold caste enumeration in the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has begun weaving a new campaign around the revered 18th-century queen of Indore Ahilyabai Holkar who not only came from an Other Backward Class (OBC) but is also credited with revival of Sanatan Dharma while fighting against the Mughal invaders. The move is being seen as a conscious bid to consolidate its hold on key OBC voters while also reaching out to women voters by projecting her as an embodiment of 'Nari Shakti' (women power). This is also seen as a strategic step to resonate with communities that hold Ahilyabai in high esteem, particularly in MP, UP Maharashtra. Ahilyabai Holkar (1725-1795), the queen of the Maratha-ruled Malwa kingdom, is celebrated for her governance, temple-building initiatives and patronage of Hindu religious sites. By foregrounding her legacy, the BJP aims to position itself as the custodian of India's Hindu cultural heritage while simultaneously reaching out to OBCs, a crucial voter base in the Hindi heartland. Speaking in a function marking her 300th birth anniversary in Lucknow on Wednesday, CM Yogi Adityanath hailed the Maratha queen as the very epitome of "dharma, justice and national duty" and credited her with the revival India's Sanatan heritage, including the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Though it is a nation-wide campaign, in U.P, the political implications of the move are significant. The state, with its complex caste dynamics, has witnessed aggressive outreach especially by the Samajwadi Party (SP). By invoking Ahilyabai's legacy, the BJP seeks to project her a cultural icon who is revered by multiple caste groups, thereby creating a unifying narrative that transcends caste lines through the glue of nationalism and Sanatan Dharma, both of which Ahilyabai is seen to have defended. The BJP has announced a series of events and functions till May 31 to carry Ahilyabai's stories of good governance, dedication, sacrifice, valour etc to every nook and corner of the state where assembly polls are due early in 2027. According to Shashi Kant Pandey, a political scientist, the BJP is seeking to kill many birds with one stone by invoking the personality of Ahilyabai. "The campaign will help the BJP woo OBCs back to its fold in U.P. and influence women by projecting the queen of Indore as an embodiment of women power," he said. In U.P., he pointed out, the SP made a significant dent in the OBC vote bank, harming the BJP hugely in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "Since its underwhelming performance in the 2024 LS polls, the BJP is making new experiments to consolidate its grip on OBC voters in U.P. and its building new narrative around Ahilyabai is just a move in that direction," Pandey said. This, he added, would also give an opportunity the BJP to assail the Congress alleging that the party during its long stint in power at the Centre and in states did nothing to honour the unsung heroes like Ahilyabai Holkar. The BJP's campaign around Ahilyabai Holkar is, hence, not just seen about cultural symbolism but is a calculated political strategy aimed at reshaping caste narratives, consolidating OBCs, and reinforcing its pro-Hindu stance while invoking a legacy that signifies good governance, nationalism, and Sanatan Dharma. The BJP has invoked Ahilyabai after its decision to hold cast consensus, a decision that has already been received well by the OBCs and their leaders....