Yesterday, Swami Prasad Maurya, a current BJP  minister in UP and an influential backward caste leader has defected to the SP along with a handful of other OBC MLAs. He cited the neglect of OBCs and dalits by the BJP as the reason for his exit. In 2019, OP rajbhar, another OBC leader and ally of the BJP teamed up with the Samajwadi Party.

All of this has set off the question whether the BJP's carefully build OBC base on the back of PM Modi's image as India's greatest ever OBC leader is crumbling. Non-Yadav OBCs comprise close to 35% of the state's voters. Losing this solid block could mean curtains for the party. Poornima Joshi, Business Line's political editor and Delhi bureau chief and TR Vivek discuss.