A VOTE DIVIDED

The results of the recently held local body elections held a key lesson for the Opposition in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh

- Prashant Srivastava

That, no single party can take the Muslim vote for granted, as the community is no longer voting as a monolithic bloc.

The Muslim electorate, which comprises 20 per cent of the state's population, is believed to have helped the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its allies corner a 36 per cent vote share in the 2022 assembly election. And the community remains a significant bloc vote bank for any party fancying its chances to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party from the numero uno spot in UP's political arena.