New Messiah of Dalits? Decoding Bhim Army and Azad's impact on UP elections 2022

In the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was declared Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s first rival in the Gorakhpur Sadar contest. He is a debutant when it comes to polls Unlike Yogi Adityanath, who is a five-time MP. The Bhim Army Chief had declared back in November that he would challenge Yogi Adityanath and on Thursday his Azad Samaj Party formally announced it. The 34-year-old had also in 2019, backtracked after announcing that he would contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He later explained that since he had no party at the time, it was best to support Mayawati's party. Coming from the Jatav sub-caste from which BSP chief Mayawati also comes, analysts claim that Azad is trying to fill the space created by Mayawati by becoming relatively inert in Dalit politics. In this highlight from Poll Baazi, political analysts explain how the Bhim Army factor will play a role in UP elections.