Fight for SC and OBC votes gets fierce in Sirathu assembly seat

Allahabad: As the election date for the Sirathu assembly bypoll is drawing closer, the battle for votes from the backward and Dalit castes is getting fiercer by the day. All the major political parties – BJP, SP and even Congress - are trying their best to come out with the best strategy to win over the Dalit voters who are in a sizeable number to decide the fate of the candidates.
With Samajwadi party announcing former MLA Vachaspati as its candidate for Sirathu assembly bypoll playing a Dalit card to woo the combination of Dalit and OBC voters, BJP has too announced the candidature of Santosh Patel belonging the backward community. These communities are in a sizeable strength in the assembly constituency and have always been the deciding factor.
The Sirathu assembly seat has been vacant after its MLA Keshav Prasad Maurya of BJP got elected from Phulpur parliamentary constituency. Nonetheless, the fact is that both the rival camps – SP and BJP – are relying on SC and OBC votes.
More importantly, with the merger of Indian Justice Party (IJP) into the BJP, BJP leadership is quite hopeful that a major chunk of scheduled caste and other backward caste vote would give them an edge in the bypoll. The area had earlier a good strength of IJP’s Udit Raj supporters who joined BJP after the merger.
However, senior SP leader, KK Srivastava candidly claims, “we are relying on SC, OBC and Muslim combination as the trio have a good strength (in terms of voters) in Sirathu assembly seat.” He further added, “party’s candidate Vachaspati Pasi has a good hold in the area with a fair image and it would be an easy task for the party to register its triumph in the coming election.” However, the startling fact is that Samajwadi Party had never won the Sirathu seat for last five state assembly elections.
Pointedly, Vachaspati had won the seat in 2007 assembly poll on a BSP ticket after defeating Matesh Sonkar of SP with a good margin.
However, senior BJP leader Jitendra Kumar Sonkar said, “people are fed up with the Samajwadi party-led state government’s misrule and the weaker section has high hopes with BJP that could bring development and progress in the area.”
He further added, “BJP has given a respectable seat to SC and OBC leaders in the party and as a result, people of both communities are connecting with it.” He, however, claimed that BJP would get more votes as compared to the previous (2012) assembly election.
However, a political expert said, “Sirathu has had a strong hold of BSP because of SC and OBC voters.” During 2012 assembly polls, BJP candidate Keshav Prasad Maurya was successful in his endeavor to get Hindu votes and this time when BSP is not contesting the bypoll, both BJP and SP are trying their level best to woo SC and OBC.”
Though Congress has too fielded its candidate but locals feel that the direct fight would be held between BJP and SP.
There are around 3.18 lakh voters, including 1.80 lakh SC votes in the assembly seat, who would be deciding the fate of candidates at 336 booth on the polling day.