The BJP on Wednesday rushed to announce an electoral tie-up with two OBC allies — Apna Dal and Nishad Party — in Uttar Pradesh, betraying a desperation for damage control following the exit of several backward caste ministers and MLAs from the party.
Flanked by the two ally leaders Anupriya Patel and Sanjay Nishad at the BJP headquarters, BJP chief J.P. Nadda said: “It has been decided that the three parties together will contest in all the 403 seats.”
Nadda did not announce the seat-sharing agreement among the allies, saying it had been amicably worked out and would be made public soon, focusing instead on showing that the OBC parties were firmly with the BJP.
BJP insiders said the allies were likely to get a good share of seats to contest.
The BJP had been stunned last week after three ministers and several MLAs from the crucial OBC communities quit and joined Samajwadi Party, accusing chief minister Yogi Adityanath of discriminating against the backward communities and Dalits.
The development ahead of the polls in the high stakes state spread alarm in the BJP, pushing the top leadership to hold talks and secure allies who draw support from the OBC sections.
Behind the scene, home minister Amit Shah, who has been tasked with steering the Uttar Pradesh elections, held talks and clinched the deal to ensure the allies didn’t jump ship.
The impact of the exodus of OBC community members on the BJP was visible at the news conference on Wednesday as Nadda repeatedly emphasised on the NDA contesting in Uttar Pradesh and the ally leaders seeking to certify that both Modi and Yogi were committed to “social justice” and development of the backwards and Dalits.
The two ally leaders were allowed to do most of the talking at the BJP headquarters.
“Apna Dal, BJP aur Nishad Party ka ye jo gathbandhan hai, ye vikas aur samajik nyay ka bahut hi behterin cocktail saabit hua hai. (The alliance between Apna Dal, BJP and Nishad Party has proved to be a very good cocktail of development and social justice),” Anupriya, who is also a junior minister in the Modi government, said.
She heaped praise on the Modi government, claiming a number of decisions for the welfare and development of the OBC communities had been taken. She also lauded Yogi for taking steps for the betterment of the deprived sections.
At the same time, Anupriya said a lot remained to be done and placed the demand for a specific “OBC ministry” in the central government. She said that the OBCs comprised more than 50 per cent of the population in Uttar Pradesh and would play a key role in the election.
References to the Ram temple and other polarising issues, which Yogi had been bringing up in his rallies, were avoided at the news conference.
Naada stressed how “garib kalyan (welfare of the poor)” had been unleashed in Uttar Pradesh under the guidance of Modi, leading to the uplift of the deprived sections. He said Yogi was implementing the vision of Modi on the ground.
“We have taken along all sections of the society. When we say double engine government, it means Modiji’s support and blessings and implementation in letter and spirit by Yogiji on the ground,” Nadda said, expressing confidence that the BJP-led NDA will return to power with a big mandate.
Apna Dal, a long-term ally of the BJP in UP, draws support from the Patel/Kurmi community in the eastern part of the state.
Anupriya’s mother Krishna Patel has split with her daughter and floated her own party and aligned with the Samajwadi Party.
Nishad Party claims to champion the cause of Nishads who reside along the riverbanks and earn their livelihood by fishing and plying boats.
The OBC ministers and MLAs who has rebelled and quit the BJP also hail mostly from the eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh and are known to represent the aspirations of other OBC communities.
