Lucknow, June 30 -- "Alpsankhyako Ka Paigham - Modi ke Saath Musalman" - the chant rang out at a high-profile BJP minority outreach event in Lucknow on Sunday. But behind the slogans and speeches lies a deeper political churn: a fierce contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) to court Uttar Pradesh's Pasmanda Muslim community - a group that makes up nearly 80 per cent of the state's Muslim population and holds the potential to decisively influence the 2027 Assembly elections.
The BJP's campaign to woo Pasmandas - the socially and economically backward castes among Muslims - is no longer just a symbolic gesture. It began taking shape after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in 2022, directed party workers to reach out to the "deprived and downtrodden" sections of the Muslim community. Since then, the party has systematically held meetings, 'sammelans', and 'sneh yatras' to penetrate a voter base once considered firmly in the SP camp.
But the SP is preparing for a counter-offensive. From July, the party will launch a year-long state-wide campaign exclusively targeting Pasmanda Muslims as part of its PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) strategy. The initiative, party leaders claim, is aimed not only at elections but also at correcting a long-standing injustice.
"Pasmandas have been ignored and reduced to mere vote banks. We are offering them genuine political representation," said Rajendra Chaudhary, SP's chief spokesperson.
The campaign will begin with outreach meetings in all 403 Assembly constituencies, followed by district conventions and a grand rally before the 2027 elections. SP leaders say the outreach is meant to affirm "political honour and agency" for Pasmandas within the broader Muslim electorate.
Underlying both parties' efforts is hard political math. The SP has long depended on a coalition of Muslims - especially Pasmandas - and Yadavs. However, BJP's internal estimates from the 2022 Assembly polls revealed that nearly 8 per cent of Pasmanda Muslims voted for the saffron party - small, but significant in a state where even a marginal swing can tip the balance.
To counter BJP's growing appeal, the SP is highlighting what it calls the "betrayals" of the ruling government. SP spokesperson Ameeq Jamei accused the BJP of systemic neglect of Pasmandas - citing bulldozer actions that disproportionately affected poor Muslims, the rollback of schemes like the Maulana Azad Education Fund, and a broader economic squeeze on traditional Muslim industries.
"Pasmandas are the backbone of UP's weaving and leather sectors," Jamei said. "Yet under BJP rule, the weavers of Mau and Varanasi suffer, and Kanpur's leather industry shrank from Rs 16,000 crore to Rs 2,500 crore. This is their track record."
For SP, the campaign also carries organisational goals. Party leaders have promised greater representation to Pasmanda Muslims in its leadership ranks, and have pledged to give them policymaking roles if the party returns to power. "This is not tokenism. Pasmandas will have a real seat at the table," said senior SP leader Mohammad Mansoori.
The BJP, however, dismisses SP's pitch as political posturing. "SP is panicking," said Kunwar Basit Ali, president of BJP's minority cell in UP. "They ignored Pasmandas for decades and now that they see us engaging meaningfully, they are scrambling to retain their base."
BJP minority leader Md Safeeque Salmani accused the SP of hypocrisy. "They never gave Pasmandas leadership roles. Now they are pretending to care. We are giving them a voice, dignity, and development."
SP leaders admit they are concerned that even a 10-12 per cent swing of Pasmanda voters towards BJP could severely weaken the Opposition's traditional Muslim-Yadav alliance - especially in eastern and central UP, where the community is densely concentrated.
"We know the BJP's game," said Chaudhary. "They want to divide Muslims. But Pasmandas are aware that BJP has never supported reservations for backward Muslims. They are only visible during elections."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.