Though there is no official data available, it is estimated that Yadavs, Kurmis and Lodhs are the top three castes number-wise among OBCs and are influential in several seats in the state. After 1989, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Beni Prasad Verma emerged as the tallest leaders of their community. However, the catch lies in the smaller groups of OBCs. Their numbers vary between one and three per cent of the population and they are present in small numbers in several constituencies. These groups cannot win any seat on their own but they can influence the final results. Even if they are as few as 5,000 in any constituency, they can affect the result in a tight contest. This is where the political caste equation comes into play. A wily Mulayam promoted leaders of other OBCs, like Beni Prasad and Phoolan Devi (Nishad) who had considerable clout over their community. The efficiency of cobbling up alliances with OBCs mattered a lot in the final outcome. Several smaller castes—like Rajbhar, Gadariya, Prajapti, Kashyap, Savita, Shakya and Maurya—did not get that much attention earlier. With the advent of the new-look SP after 2012, the established caste equations fell apart and an aggressive BJP swooped in to reap the harvest. In 2017, the BJP’s 300 MLAs had 101 OBCs, much higher than the 13 in 2012.