Non-Yadav OBCs in BSP fear loss of space in UP elections 2017

NEW DELHI: Apprehensions of a higher share of Brahmin and Muslim candidates eating into the share of OBCs is learnt to be the major bone of political contention for BSP’s election gambit for 2017 assembly elections, resulting in a rebellion by Swami Prasad Maurya, BSP’s most popular OBC face till yesterday, BSP sources indicated.
The party so far appears keen to slot more than half the candidates from among Brhamins and Muslims, said people close to the developments, while a couple of them pegged different figures about the share of candidates from these communities.

"Last time, BSP had 76 Brhamin candidates. This time, it is definitely going to be more than that. At the moment, it is going to be more than 100 candidates from the Muslim community," confided a source briefed about the social break-up of Vidhan Sabha prabharis (assembly in-charges), an euphemism of potential candidates of the BSP.

Another BSP source quoted a separate figure. "At the moment, there are 132 Muslims in the candidate list while there are 129 Brahmin candidates in the current list." Both BSP sources, in fact, appeared converging that about 200 candidates (from among 403 seats in the state) may be from these two communities alone.

After accounting for 86 seats reserved for SC/STs in the state assembly, there will be less than 115 seats left for non-Brahmin Upper Castes and OBCs. This amounts to shrinking space for OBCs as non-Brahmin Upper Castes will also share this space. In 2012, BSP had fielded over 40 non-Brahmin upper castes. This means only about 70 seats left for OBCs as against 113 OBC candidates fielded by the BSP in 2012.

"Dalit-Brahmin-Muslim is going to be the axis of BSP’s 2017 assembly elections gambit. Brahmins have seen Mayawati provide better governance after 2007, and Muslims are now fed up with SP regime after the riots," confided one of the BSP sources quoted above.

However, the shrunk space for OBCs seems to have given rise to a churn within BSP’s non-Yadav OBC support base. "After Swami Prasad Maurya’s rebellion, the party’s state unit chief Ram Achal Rajbhar remains the lone prominent face of OBCs in the party. But, with lesser OBC candidates planned than in the past, it is likely to cost the party," confided another party source.

Maurya’s rebellion, consequently, is likely to force BSP chief Mayawati to redraw her election strategy, said a party source.