Yogi focuses on dev, welfare, caste rainbow on road to 2027

State government gearing up for a massive push on development, welfare and religion fronts before assembly polls

- Rajesh Kumar Singh

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh budget for 2025-26 is guided by chief minister Yogi Adityanath's push on the Sanatan Dharma, development and welfare fronts in the run-up to the 2027 assembly election.

Yogi invoked Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Sant Ravidas, Sant Kabir and Mata Shabari at the press conference after finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tabled the budget in the assembly, announcing the launch of various schemes in the name of Dalit icons. The aim was to send a message to the Dalits that the state government is committed to their empowerment.

After the 2024 Lok Sabha election setback, the BJP is working to regain lost ground by rebuilding a rainbow coalition of upper castes, OBCs and Dalits. Riding on the PDA (Pichda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) formula, the SP breached the caste coalition that had led to the BJP's victories in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls as well as in the 2017 and 2022 state assembly elections.

The party's victory in recent assembly by-elections has infused fresh confidence into the BJP.