It is the state where Mayawati, who sought to create a new 'umbrella party' with a Dalit core, and later, Narendra Modi, attracted a section of Dalits into the saffron fold.
About the Author
Sudha Pai became interested in Dalit politics in the mid-1990s with the emergence of Mayawati on the political landscape, reflected in her book Dalit Assertion and the Unfinished Democratic Revolution: The BSP in Uttar Pradesh (Sage, India, 2002).Sajjan Kumar is a researcher and a political scientist. Currently, he is a Fellow at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. His writing has been published in The Hindu, Indian Express, The New Indian Express and The Times of India, among others.