Politicians and mathematical formulae may seem like strange bedfellows. But in the run-up to 2022 UP polls, every day brings a new equation. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath recently said the UP battle was a clash between 80% and 20%, only to be countered by his own estranged minister and Samajwadi Party’s latest catch, OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya who said that the election will be fought between 85 % and 15%.
The references are obvious: While for the saffron-clad CM elections are essentially a majoritarian face-off between majority Hindus and minority Muslims, Maurya would have us believe that this time UP will see a forward caste vs backward caste battle. Put simply, UP politics is returning to the 1990s Mandir vs Mandal tussle, although this time the identities at play are far more complex.
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