The Chessboard Episode 4: Is caste arithmetic trumping nationalism in UP?

In episode 4 of Business Standard’s podcast on politics, The Chessboard, Ankur Bhardwaj talks to Archis Mohan who has recently visited parts of Uttar Pradesh.

117 Lok Sabha constituencies vote in phase 3 of elections today. This includes the states of Gujarat and Kerala and parts of the state of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh among others.

In Uttar Pradesh the BJP swept the seats in 2014. How is it placed this time with Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party coming together in an alliance. Is arithmetic trumping chemistry? Is caste overcoming nationalism in the state?

Gujarat saw the Congress recover ground in assembly elections in 2017. A rural-urban divide became a factor in those polls. Is this divide still a feature of elections in Gujarat?

Both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have announced their candidates for all the seats in Delhi now. That has ended the speculation about an alliance between the two parties. What were the compulsions and what are the implications?

For more on all of these questions, tune in.