Allies in other states turn rivals for BJP in UP

Lucknow: Republican Party of India President and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale’s decision to give full support by not fielding any candidate in the UP elections brought relief to the BJP camp.

On the other hand, many parties playing the role of allies in other states, especially JD(U) and VIPs, are preparing to take on the BJP in UP.

In the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, the BJP may be an ally of JDU, but the alliance between the two parties could not take final shape in UP.

Disappointed by this, the state unit of JDU decided to contest the elections alone on 51 seats. Candidates have also been declared for 30 seats. Although JDU does not have any significant political impact in UP, it has popularity in a section of the Kurmi fraternity.

Notably, the Kurmi community, which accounts for 12 percent of the total population of UP, is the second largest OBC community after the Yadavs. Kurmi voters play a decisive role in many seats in Purvanchal and Central UP.

A large chunk of these voters have been with the Apna DalBJP alliance since 2014.

Although Apna Dal-S chief Anupriya Patel is the big mascot of Kurmi politics, the influence of JDU on these voters also cannot be ruled out. The latter has its influence in many areas of districts adjoining Bihar.

Nitish’s party, which had joined hands with the BJP in the 2007 and 2012 UP assembly elections, did not contest the 2017 elections here. But now the party is in the electoral fray with full vigour.

Another Bihar ally of the BJP, the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), is also trying its hand in the UP elections. Mukesh Sahni’s party, popularly known as Son of Mallah, has a great influence on the most OBC caste Mallah-Nishad. Nishads are a community of fishermen who live along the Ganga.

They have a sizable presence in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Although Sanjay Nishad’s party has a strong hold on this caste group in many districts of the eastern region, hence BJP preferred alliance with it rather than VIP.