Elections 2019: In Rohilkhand, BJP pushes 'vikas' with some polarisation

As it faces SP-BSP alliance's strong caste arithmetic, BJP tries some tactical social engineering with polarisation

Of the 10 seats that vote in the third phase in Uttar Pradesh on April 23 , seven fall in the north-western Rohilkhand region, home to constituencies as high profile as Bareilly, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. Muslims have a large presence in Rohilkhand, with a population of 50.57 percent in Rampur, 52.17 percent in Sambhal and 47.12 percent in Moradabad, according to Census 2011. The numbers taper off in Bareilly (34.54 percent), Pilbhit (24.11 percent) and Badaun (21.47 percent). Despite the big population of Muslims, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won all the Rohilkhand seats in 2014, barring Badaun that