BJP faces OBC challenge in UP after high-profile exits

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav shared a picture with Dharam Singh Saini on Twitter on January 13.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh is in turmoil, with as many as eight legislators, including three ministers, resigning in the last three days – ahead of the assembly polls, starting February 10.

The high-profile exits of Swami Prasad Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan and Dharam Singh Saini, the three ministers and prominent faces of the backward castes in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet, and their subsequent photo ops with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, further brings the focus on the other backward caste (OBC) votes in the state.

‘सामाजिक न्याय’ के एक और योद्धा डॉ. धर्म सिंह सैनी जी के आने से, सबका मेल-मिलाप-मिलन करानेवाली हमारी ‘सकारात्मक और प्रगतिशील राजनीति’ को और भी उत्साह व बल मिला है। सपा में उनका ससम्मान हार्दिक स्वागत एवं अभिनंदन!

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बाइस में समावेशी-सौहार्द की जीत निश्चित है! #मेला_होबे pic.twitter.com/2FDkLLNW93

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 13, 2022

All the three rebel ministers cited the same reason – that is, the BJP, which stormed into power in 2017, has neglected the OBCs.

“I have been hoping that they (the government) will listen to my issues. And when all limits were crossed, I decided to quit. I had no other option,” Chauhan, who was the forest and environment minister, told news channels after his resignation on January 12.

READ : MC Election Update Today January 13: 8 Uttar Pradesh MLAs quit BJP in 3 days

Maurya is the most high-profile leader to leave the BJP. He was minister of labour, employment and coordination. Chauhan, an MLA from eastern UP, who has also been an MP, is also a prominent OBC leader.

The latest Minister and OBC leader to quit on January 13 is Saini, a four-time legislator from Nakud in Saharanpur who was the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ayush, Food Security and Drug Administration in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet.

Maurya, Chauhan and Saini had switched to BJP ahead of 2017 assembly elections, eventually won by the saffron party. 

More resignations follow

Soon after Maurya’s resignation, three more BJP legislators — Roshan Lal Verma, Brijesh Prajapati and Bhagwati Sagar — quit the party.

Vinay Shaikya, the OBC leader and BJP MLA from Auriaya district, has also resigned since. On January 13, Mukesh Verma, BJP MLA from Shikohabad, said he has resigned and extended support to Maurya.

Also, read: Who is Swami Prasad Maurya and what impact will his exit from BJP have on Uttar Pradesh polls

The series of resignations ahead of polls is a clear setback to the ruling BJP, which, like other parties, has been trying to reach out to the backwards, especially the non-Yadav OBCs ­– a strong vote bank, comprising 35 percent of the population in the state.

Analysts said that in the 2017 assembly elections, the BJP had made a dent in SP’s OBC base by wooing leaders from the non-Yadav backward castes, like the Kurmis, Mauryas, Shakyas, Sainis, Kushwahas, Rajbhars and Nishads, to join the saffron fold.

Also read: BJP finalises candidates for 172 seats in UP; CM Yogi Adityanath and his deputies likely to contest 

“The BJP leaders (in 2017) cashed in on the resentment among the non-Yadav backward caste leaders following the perception that the Yadav community cornered a major share of the government resources under the SP rule,” said a political analyst.

OBCs hold the key

That the support of OBCs, comprising nearly 35 percent population, played a role in the formation of the BSP government in 2007, the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government in 2012 and the BJP government in the 2017 assembly election, is no secret.

Considering the silence of Mayawati and rebellion in the BJP, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is seemingly opening the party’s doors to the non-Yadav OBC leaders. The entry of these leaders would strengthen the SP and help it to shed its image of being a party of Yadavs and Muslims.

Also read: Where is Mayawati? BSP leader’s absence from UP poll campaign sparks speculation

Prominent OBC leader OP Rajbhar, of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), has already aligned with the SP. Conscious of the damage, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Deputy Chief Minister and the tallest OBC leader of the UP BJP, in a tweet on January 12, said it hurts if any member of the family goes astray.

“I would urge the respected leaders that they will harm themselves by riding a sinking boat. Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan should reconsider their decision,” he said in a tweet. Chief Minister Adityanath has not reacted to the exits so far.

The speculated disgruntlement among OBC votes was evident in PM Narendra Modi’s cabinet expansion in July last year. Seven of the new ministers inducted into the Union cabinet were from Uttar Pradesh. Three belonged to the backward castes.

Also, read : Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022 from February 10 to March 7. Things to know about high-stakes polls

“The disgruntled OBC leaders are deserting the BJP to join the SP. Their ability to transfer the votes of their community to the SP will be crucial in the assembly election.” SK Dwivedi, former head of the political science department at Lucknow University, said in a report in Hindustan Times.

Keeping in mind the caste dynamics of the politically crucial state, as it is the largest in terms of Lok Sabha seats, the BJP's central leadership last year announced poll in-charges, comprising leaders from all castes, led by Dharmendra Pradhan, who himself hails from the OBC category.

The BJP has launched a damage-control exercise by reaching out to the rebels. The party’s state president and other OBC face, Swatantra Dev Singh, sent out a tweet praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an OBC, for embracing, honouring and empowering the backwards.

माननीय मोदी जी के दिल में इस देश का गरीब, दलित, वंचित, पिछड़ा बसता है…

विपक्ष ने समाज के जिन वर्गों का केवल शोषण किया, उन्हें माननीय मोदी जी ने अपना मान कर गले से लगाया, सम्मानित किया और सशक्त किया! pic.twitter.com/StFfH0rvH9

— Swatantra Dev Singh (@swatantrabjp) January 13, 2022

Under these circumstances, fixing the caste equations remains the priority for the BJP. Earlier, there were reports about a tussle between CM Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya.