CANDIDATE SELECTION AND VOTING BEHAVIOUR: The BJP’s Mobilisation of Marginalised Castes in Uttar Pradesh, India

This thesis examines the rise of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, India, and the changing role of caste in shaping electoral outcomes. It examines how the BJP has broadened its social appeal to attract the votes of marginalized castes. Based on a mixture of in-depth interviews, statistical analysis of election results and new data collection on the caste background of candidates and voters in Uttar Pradesh, the thesis shows how the BJP has managed to split the SP’s hold on OBC voters and the BSP’s hold on SC voters by mobilizing segments within those communities who had been overlooked politically. The BJP has done this through a process of candidate selection which has led to the nomination of more candidates from marginalized castes. This change is a consequence of a more strategically oriented and less ideological approach to candidate selection, which has removed the barriers to entry for previously excluded groups.