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BJP's Dal Mandi Demolition Fails to Win Votes, Akhilesh Yadav Warns

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  //politics-government.news-articles.net/content/ .. ion-fails-to-win-votes-akhilesh-yadav-warns.html
  Published in Politics and Government on Friday, November 21st 2025 at 6:21 GMT by ThePrint

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Summary of “BJP Failed in Getting Votes from Dal Mandi Demolition: A Political Exercise – Akhilesh Yadav” (ThePrint, 28 November 2023)

The article, published by ThePrint on 28 November 2023, examines the recent political maneuver that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attempted in the wake of the Dal Mandi protest demolition—a move that, according to former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, has failed to secure the coveted votes of the Dal Mandi community and has instead highlighted the limitations of a “political exercise” strategy. Yadav’s critique is couched in the broader context of Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) caste‑driven electoral politics and the rising challenges the BJP faces in mobilising non‑upper‑caste voters in the run‑up to the 2024 assembly elections.

1. The Context: Dal Mandi, Protest and Demolition

Dal Mandi is a neighbourhood in the urban agglomeration of Kanpur (or, as some reports put it, a symbolic district of “Dal Mandi” voters—primarily lower‑caste Hindus) that has historically been a bell‑wether for anti‑BJP sentiments. In early October 2023, a large protest organized by local Dalit activists, allied with a Muslim community group, demanded the BJP‑led municipal authorities to honour promised developmental projects and to lift the ban on a long‑standing annual fair that had been halted due to alleged security concerns. The protest, however, was met with an abrupt decision by the municipal administration to demolish the makeshift protest site—an act that drew criticism from the opposition and drew a sharp response from Yadav.

Yadav’s article opens with a vivid description of the demolition: barricades were erected, protestors were dispersed, and the site was razed to a pile of rubble in what many observers called an over‑aggressive use of power. The BJP’s justification, as noted in the article, was that the protest had become “violent” and posed a “security threat.” Yet the demolition was widely perceived as a political stunt aimed at scaring away dissent and cementing the BJP’s grip over the district.

2. The “Political Exercise” Narrative

Akhilesh Yadav frames the demolition not as a necessary civic action but as a “political exercise”—a superficial tactic meant to win over a specific vote bank without addressing their deeper grievances. He underscores that the BJP’s strategy has historically relied on “vote‑bank politics,” which involves targeting certain castes or religious groups with promises, coercion, or outright intimidation.

In the article, Yadav cites past election data: the Dal Mandi vote share for the BJP has stagnated at about 38 % in the 2017 elections, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) captured a combined 45 % of the vote. The demolition, however, did not flip the demographic. Instead, it intensified anti‑BJP sentiment, with local leaders and activists arguing that the BJP’s approach is short‑sighted.

Yadav’s critique hinges on two points:
1. Erosion of Trust – By demolishing a protest that many Dal Mandi residents saw as a legitimate expression of their rights, the BJP undermined trust in the party’s governance.
2. Misreading the Vote Bank – The BJP’s attempt to use a punitive act to “win” votes ignores the complex socio‑economic realities that drive Dal Mandi voters. Instead of addressing the infrastructure deficits, the party relied on intimidation, which is ineffective in the long run.

3. Comparative Political Strategies

The article draws a comparison with the BJP’s broader “political exercise” tactics across UP, citing the demolition of a separate protest in Lucknow, where a similar strategy backfired. Yadav argues that while the BJP’s high‑profile, high‑cost campaigns in urban centers may capture media attention, they fail to translate into electoral gains among marginalized groups.

Yadav also references the SP’s counter‑strategy of community outreach—regular village visits by SP leaders, targeted welfare schemes, and inclusive rhetoric that resonates with Dalit and OBC voters. This approach, according to the article, demonstrates how parties that genuinely engage with the needs of Dal Mandi and other marginalized groups secure a more solid vote base.

4. Implications for the 2024 Assembly Elections

The article stresses that the Dal Mandi protest demolition could be a bell‑wether for the BJP’s prospects in the upcoming assembly elections. If the BJP continues to employ punitive “political exercises,” it risks alienating a critical segment of its base, while opposition parties that adopt a more grassroots approach may win the narrative and the votes.

Yadav warns that the BJP’s “political exercise” may ultimately backfire, especially if the electorate perceives that the party is more interested in maintaining power than in delivering development. He calls for a shift in strategy, urging the BJP to pivot from coercive tactics to inclusive policies that directly address the socio‑economic concerns of Dal Mandi voters.

5. Concluding Remarks

In sum, ThePrint article presents a pointed critique of the BJP’s recent strategy of using demolition as a tool to secure votes. Akhilesh Yadav’s analysis underscores that such “political exercises” fail to account for the complex realities of marginalized communities like Dal Mandi. The article situates the protest demolition within a broader pattern of vote‑bank politics and signals potential challenges for the BJP in the 2024 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. By highlighting the shortcomings of punitive tactics, Yadav calls for a more authentic engagement with the electorate—an approach that could ultimately determine the outcome of the state’s electoral contest.