Overview

• Sanjay Nishad warned on July 8 that his party will reconsider its NDA alliance unless the BJP grants SC status to 17 Nishad sub-castes before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections.
• The party is holding fortnight-long cadre camps at its Lucknow headquarters to strategize community outreach and distribute a booklet on unmet reservation promises.
• Samajwadi Party and BSP are intensifying rival campaigns in fishermen-dominated regions to court the shifting Nishad community vote.
• Delayed SC quotas drove a swing of Nishad community support toward opposition parties in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
• Fishermen sub-castes account for about 18% of Uttar Pradesh’s population and influence roughly 160 of the state’s 403 assembly seats.