New Delhi, Jan. 17: The BJP appears to be banking on communal polarisation in riot-scarred western Uttar Pradesh if its first list of candidates is any indication. The BJP seems to have resorted to the tried and tested strategy of playing the communal card with reports indicating the dominant Jat community is disillusioned with it, sources said. The Muzaffarnagar riots are said to have powered the BJP sweep in western Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls by polarising votes. The BJP wants to neutralise this by playing the communal card. The other factor behind the BJP playing the communal card is the coming together of the Samajwadi Party, Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal that would consolidate minority votes in the alliance's favour.

Source: The Telegraph January 17, 2017 22:25 UTC