'Hindutva Can't Be Written Off'

'There is a huge constituency that upholds this ideology.'
'Hindutva will remain relevant in our public life in the near future as an ideology and in politics as well.'

"There were two major exams in UP before the election and the government failed to recruit candidates because of paper leaks. The large number of hopeful aspirants came from innumerable families across UP. People spent thousands of rupees in coaching for these exams and it came to zero," Dr Prashant Trivedi tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in the concluding part of an interview discussing the poll outcome in Uttar Pradesh and its implication on national politics.

Dr Trivedi is a Lucknow-based social scientist and professor at the Giri Institute of Developmental Studies whose research interests include the political economy of land reforms, rural studies and issues relating to Dalits, Muslims and Women, with a particular focus on UP.

• Part 1 of the Interview: 'Dalit Women Set The Agenda Of This Election'

What path is this new coalition government at the Centre likely to take?

The Cabinet shows a continuity and largely ministers have been repeated. As a student of sociology, I am interested in the policy orientation that this government will take rather than in the people running the policy.

The government needs to address people's concerns particularly on employment, informal labour, migration and more importantly issues of social development, particular education and health.

This will determine the future political prospects of the BJP and the country as well.

What shift has Indian politics taken in 2024?

India as a country has registered its position on the supremacy of the Constitution, robustness of our democratic setup and dynamic nature of political processes.

The robustness of democracy and supremacy of the Constitution have been established by this election.

Have roti, naukri, samvidhan issues overtaken Hindutva from now on?

Hindutva failed to mobilise people in this election. But it cannot be written off. There is a huge constituency that upholds this ideology.

Hindutva will remain relevant in our public life in the near future as an ideology and in politics as well.

As a social scientist, what have been your primary takeaways from the election verdict of 2024?

1. People's issues took centre-stage.
2. The vocal participation of women, particularly Dalit women, often digressing from their husbands/families in voting behaviour.

Women were very articulate about why they vote for a particular party. They were well informed about the politics of both BJP and INDIA. Now onwards, no social scientist will ever see women voting as per diktats of their families. They are a constituency of their own.

• There is vast change in the voting preference of the upper caste and middle class. In many urban seats BJP votes have come down including Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Prayagraj. They lost Prayagraj and victory margins were reduced in Kanpur, Lucknow -- even urban voters are alienated from the BJP which was their core vote.
  The relatively weaker performance of the BJP in urban seats indicates all is not well within the core of the party.

What are the reasons for the disenchantment of the urban voter from the BJP?

Unemployment, particularly among educated youth.

The failure of the state in recruitments in government jobs.

There were two major exams in UP before the election and the government failed to recruit candidates because of paper leaks. The large number of hopeful aspirants came from innumerable families across UP. People spent thousands of rupees in coaching for these exams and it came to zero. These two factors hurt the urban middle class.

How will the resurgence of the Samajwadi Party impact UP state politics leading up to the 2027 assembly elections?

The SP has firmly established itself as the Opposition party in UP. SP-Congress have declared that they will take this alliance forward.

Politics in the state will be between these two poles.

The election will also galvanise politics because the dominance of one party had squeezed out the narrative of other parties. That will change now and both the ruling party and Opposition will have political space.

Even among the people, supporters from both sides will now have political space to place their agenda and register their grievances.

The dynamic nature of state politics will make a comeback which will be a change from the political culture of the last few years.

What setback has this brought to the chief minister and prime minister? What challenge does it throw for them?

Their persona will be determined by future actions. They are still holding office and have the chance to make up for the losses suffered in the elections.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com