There is no possibility of stopping the political controversy over ‘Modi surname’. Meanwhile, the preparations of the Bharatiya Janata Party are indicating that they are trying to capitalize on it through the OBC angle. There are reports that the party may use this bet to increase its outreach to OBCs in Uttar Pradesh. Now if this maneuver of the BJP is successful, then along with the Congress, the Samajwadi Party may also suffer a setback.
First understand the planning of BJP
BJP’s 8-day campaign related to OBC is going to start from 6th April. Under ‘Gaon Gaon Ghar Ghar Chalo’, party officials and workers will reach 15,000 villages and tell people how Rahul has ‘insulted the OBC community’. Recently, a court in Surat found him guilty in a criminal defamation case.
During this, the party will also target SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. The party is claiming that Akhilesh only cares about his family in the name of OBC welfare. State BJP’s OBC Morcha chief and minister Narendra Kashyap has informed that this campaign will expose the conspiracy to play with the sentiments of OBCs.
Now understand the OBC equation
Figures published in media reports show that the share of general castes in the state is 25 to 27 per cent. Whereas, the OBC figure is 39 to 40 percent. Whereas, here the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are around 20 percent. In this context, OBCs play a big role in the politics of the state.
At the same time, the Social Justice Committee constituted in the year 2001 by the then Chief Minister Rajnath Singh had estimated that OBCs are 43.13 percent. The report estimated Yadavs at 19.4 per cent, Kurmis 7.46 per cent, Kachi-Kushwaha-Shakya-Maurya-Saini-Mali 6.68 per cent, Lodh 4.9 per cent, Jat 3.6 per cent, Kevat 4.33 per cent, Kahar-Kashyap 3.31 per cent.
Now since the year 1931 caste census has not been done, so these figures are estimates only. During elections, political parties also collect information with the help of their workers.
BJP controlled the caste game in 2017
Before the 2014 elections, Narendra Modi paid special attention to social engineering in the state. In the year 2017 also, the party’s strategy worked. During that time the party made the present deputy CM as the head of BJP state president and when the results were declared, the party got 312 seats in its account. Whereas, its allies Apna Dal and SBSP won 9 and 4 seats respectively. These figures itself indicated that barring a few OBC castes, others have support for the BJP.
Akhilesh on the tour of 75 districts of UP
Akhilesh is planning to visit all 75 districts before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It is being said that the focus of his visit will be on the caste census, through which the SP is trying to rope in the Other Backward Classes in its favour. The special thing is that before the 2024 elections, it is necessary for the SP to regain the OBC vote base. In the years 2007 and 2012, it was OBC votes through which SP and Bahujan Samaj parties formed governments with majority.
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