BJP’s efforts to woo SCs, STs pay off after winning reserved seats in Assam, West Bengal

New Delhi: After the 2024 cold shoulder, the BJP’s efforts to woo the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities have paid dividends, with the party and its allies winning big in the reserved seats in both Assam and West Bengal.

In Bengal, the party won 67 of the 84 reserved seats, and in Assam, the NDA swept all the 19 ST seats and 8 of the 9 SC seats. While it did not register any noteworthy wins in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the NDA held several key reserved seats in these two states.

In Assam, there are nine SC reserved seats, out of which the BJP alone won five seats, and the alliance parties won three more, with only one seat going to the Congress.

Of the 19 ST reserved seats in the state, the BJP won 13 seats, and alliance partners Bodo People’s Front and Asom Gona Parishad winning the other six seats.

“Delimitation played a structural role, increasing the weight of indigenous and tribal-reserved constituencies from 16 to 19 and SC reserved constituencies from 8 to 9. Strong tribal mobilisation of the allies like BPF, combined with BJP’s expansion in Upper Assam and hill regions, ensured near-total control over ST seats. The results show a clear consolidation of SC and ST voters towards the BJP-led NDA, turning reserved constituencies into a decisive electoral pillar,” a senior leader of the party, who is the head of a key wing, said.

In West Bengal, out of 68 SC seats, the BJP won 51 or 75 per cent of the seats leaving just 17 for the TMC. In ST seats, the BJP swept all 16. Overall, the BJP secured 67 of the 84 SC-ST seats, with the TMC winning 17 seats.

“The results signal a clear consolidation of Dalit support and reflect a uniform mandate across tribal regions like North Bengal and Junglemahal. Significantly, this indicates that the BJP not only expanded its electoral base but also achieved deep penetration among historically marginalised social groups. The results also show the wiping out of other parties, an overwhelming dominance in segments once seen as fragmented and contested,” the leader quoted above said.

The leader also said that there is a unified shift of the Matua community. “This significantly boosted the BJP’s performance across SC-dominated seats, especially in border regions,” the leader added.

In Tamil Nadu, NDA ally ADMK won 9 out of the state’s 46 SC reserved seats and one of the two ST reserved seats. In Puducherry, NDA’s ally AINRC won 2 out of the 5 SC reserved constituencies in Puducherry.