UP Election 2022: A Look At SC-ST Seats & Their Importance In Forming Government In UP

UP Election 2022: The road to gaining political power in Uttar Pradesh passes through seats reserved for SC and ST categories. The one who wins more than 65 per cent of these seats forms the govt.

(File Photo)

The stage is set for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections. In the Uttar Pradesh assembly, 86 seats are reserved for SCs and STs. Out of these, 84 seats are reserved for SC and 2 seats are reserved for ST. Every political party devises separate strategies to win these seats. These 86 seats are important to get power in the country's largest state. Let's see who won these seats in the last three elections.

Calculations for Reserved Seats:

Let's have a look at the 2007 assembly elections. In 2007, there were 89 seats reserved for SC in the assembly elections. During that year's elections, BSP had won 61 reserved seats. The SP had won 13 seats, BJP 7, Congress 5, RLD 1, Rashtriya Swabhiman Party 1 and Nirdaliya 1. BSP managed to win 69 per cent of the reserved seats. 

When it comes to the 2012 elections, there were 85 seats reserved in the Assembly. In that election, SP had won 58 of these seats, BSP 15, Congress 4, BJP 3, RLD 3, and Independent 2. The SP had formed the government for the first time by winning 68 percent of the reserve category seats in this election. 

2 seats were reserved for tribal communities

In the 2017 elections, the number of reserved seats in the assembly had gone up to 86. Two seats were reserved for ST for the first time in UP on the orders of the Supreme Court. Both the seats are in the district of Sonbhadra. BJP had won 70 of these seats. The party had won 69 seats in the SC category and 1 seat in ST category. In 2017, SP managed to win 7 seats, BSP 2 and Nirdaliya 1. Apna Dal had won 3 seats. Out of these, 2 seats were reserved for SC and 1 for the ST category. Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party had won 3 seats. Apna Dal and SBSP had contested the elections in alliance with BJP. Thus, the BJP-led NDA had won 88 per cent of the seats.

The results of these three elections proved that the party that wins more than 65 per cent of the reserve category seats forms the government in Uttar Pradesh.