Purvanchal becomes electoral arena in Uttar Pradesh, will this time ‘Brahmin’ give the key to power?

The election bugle has sounded in five states including Uttar Pradesh. All the parties are engaged in cultivating different castes. At present, all the parties are seen active regarding the Brahmin community in Uttar Pradesh. All the parties are trying to make the Brahmin community in their side. It is being said that since the arrest of Khushi Dubey in the Vikas Dubey case, the Brahmin community is angry with the Yogi government of the state. The opposition has also been making such allegations that the Yogi government is harassing Brahmins.

In order to woo the Brahmins and make them into their side, the BSP had organized a Brahmin conference in July 2021 and organized this event in all the 18 mandals of the state. The aim of the BSP is to connect more number of Brahmins to its party. BSP supremo Mayawati has given this responsibility to Satish Chandra Mishra, who holds the number two position in the party. In the 2007 elections, Mayawati had managed to win over some Brahmin votes.

The Samajwadi Party also did many programs to attract Brahmins to its side. Akhilesh Yadav also unveiled the idol of Lord Parshuram. The Brahmin leader of Purvanchal and the family of Bahubali Harishankar Tiwari was also included in the Samajwadi Party. BSP leader Rakesh Pandey from Ambedkar Nagar was also included in the Samajwadi Party. BJP also organized an enlightened conference and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also addressed the conference. Chief Minister Yogi had fiercely targeted the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav for the killing of Brahmins during the SP regime.

Why are Brahmin communities important in UP?: The population of Brahmins in Uttar Pradesh is about 13-14 percent of the total population and there are about 11 districts where their population is more than 18 percent. The Brahmin community has a direct influence on politics in about 18 districts of Uttar Pradesh. In Meerut, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, western Uttar Pradesh, while in Purvanchal, Brahmins live in large numbers in other districts including Gonda, Basti, Shravasti, Siddharth Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bhadohi, Banaras, Ballia. Brahmins also live in good numbers in Lucknow, Kanpur and Shahjahanpur. In the 2017 assembly elections, the BJP had won more than 85% of the seats in these districts and the BJP crossed the 300 mark in the assembly.

Mayawati gave maximum ticket in 2007: In the 2007 assembly elections, when the BSP decided to integrate Brahmins with the party, the BSP had given 86 tickets to Brahmins. 41 Brahmin candidates had reached the assembly on BSP ticket and the BSP government was formed in the state. In 2012, when the Samajwadi Party came to power, 21 Brahmin MLAs reached the assembly after winning on Samajwadi Party ticket. At the same time, in 2017, 46 Brahmin MLAs reached the assembly after winning on BJP ticket and BJP formed the government with a huge majority in the state.

Active in creating Brahmin lobby: As soon as complaints of Brahmin harassment started pouring in in Uttar Pradesh last year, opposition parties started attacking the BJP. To woo the Brahmins, the Samajwadi Party and the BSP had also announced the installation of an idol of Lord Parashuram. BJP also felt that Brahmins can get away from them, then BJP also started trying to woo Brahmins. BJP President JP Nadda held a meeting with big Brahmin leaders of Uttar Pradesh and took a report from them about the displeasure of Brahmins.

Lack of big Brahmin faces in BJP in Uttar Pradesh?: Once upon a time there was no dearth of Brahmin faces in Uttar Pradesh BJP. But at present, the lack of Brahmin face is clearly visible in Uttar Pradesh BJP. Kalraj Mishra, who has now become the governor, Shiv Pratap Shukla, was made the Union Minister of State for Finance in the previous government, but now he is also on the margins. Laxmikant Bajpai who was the state president of UP BJP when the BJP government was formed at the Center in 2014 but since 2017 he too was marginalized.

However, before the 2022 assembly elections, he was made the chairman of the joining committee. BJP made Dinesh Sharma Deputy Chief Minister but he too could not live up to the party’s expectations. Which party Brahmins will vote for in the coming elections, it will be known only after March 10. But all the parties have left no stone unturned to attract Brahmins to their side.