Highlights
- Important strategy of BJP high command for UP elections
- Veterans included in four-member ‘Brahmin’ committee
- Former National General Secretary of BJYM Abhijat Mishra is the youngest face
- Committee members will visit 403 assembly of UP
Even before the announcement of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the political excitement has intensified. On the one hand, all the parties are engaged in alliance and political arithmetic, while on the other hand, keeping in mind the politics of votes, arrows are being decorated in the quiver. In this election, the BJP has the most credibility. Its thumping victory in 2017 is now a thing of the past and the party is now trying to keep its vote bank from scratch. The most important challenge for the party is considered to be Brahmin voters. In fact, for some time, discussions have been intensifying in the corridors of power in Lucknow that Brahmin voters are ‘angry’ with the BJP this time and the party may have to bear the brunt of it in the elections.
Regarding this, a casual meeting was called by the BJP high command in Delhi on Sunday. In this, along with prominent Brahmin leaders from the party’s UP, election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and many senior leaders of the organization participated. Dr. Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Dinesh Sharma, Anil Sharma, Jitin Prasad etc. were present in these. To woo the Brahmin community in this meeting, BJP has formed a 4-member committee. There are big leaders of the Brahmin community in this committee. These include former Union Minister Shiv Pratap Shukla, former National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and sharp leader Abhijat Mishra, Dr. Mahesh Sharma and MP Ram Bhai Mokaria. Let us tell you that Abhijat Mishra led the organization in many big demonstrations for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. As part of the initial strategy, they will visit all the assembly seats in the region and will bring the party’s word to the Brahmins. For the future strategy, a round of meetings will be held in Delhi for a day or two and a plan will be prepared.
Why Brahmin voters are considered important in UP elections
According to the information, up to 14 percent Brahmin vote bank is considered in Uttar Pradesh. All political parties keep an eye on this. According to political experts, the support of Brahmins makes the way easier for any party, the important reason for this is that the Brahmin caste is considered more vocal than the rest of the castes. This time too, if we see, from Samajwadi Party to Bahujan Samaj Party, enlightened conference is being held, while Priyanka Gandhi has also been continuously making issue of oppression of Brahmins on Yogi government. Now by forming a committee and presenting the program, BJP is trying to send a message to this community that the party has made efforts for their welfare.
The influence of Brahmins in the politics of UP can be gauged from the fact that before the Mandal movement, 6 Brahmins became Chief Ministers in the state. However, after the Mandal movement, the politics of UP became centered on backward, Muslim and Dalit. However, no party in the state ever considered Brahmins as a vote bank. But in 2007, when Mayawati formed a majority government for the first time, Brahmin social engineering came to the fore with Dalit-Muslims. The Brahmin vote bank was considered a special contribution in this victory of Mayawati and 41 Brahmin MLAs were elected from BSP.
Politics changed after an encounter
After this, in 2012, when Akhilesh became the Chief Minister, 21 Brahmin MLAs were with the SP. But after this, after 2014, in the Modi wave, the Brahmin vote bank went with the BJP and in 2017 its effect has been that 46 BJP MLAs were in the BJP’s massive victory. Then in 2020, after the Vikas Dubey encounter of Kanpur, a section on social media started putting the Yogi government in the dock. Not only this, all the opposition parties from Congress, SP, BSP started accusing BJP of being anti-Brahmin.
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