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  India   Politics  02 Aug 2017  Now Yadavs in UP on BJP’s wish list

Now Yadavs in UP on BJP’s wish list

THE ASIAN AGE. | AMITA VERMA
Published : Aug 2, 2017, 1:42 am IST
Updated : Aug 2, 2017, 1:42 am IST

The 47-member SP has 13 Yadav legislators, and some BJP MLAs have been asked to ‘encourage’ them to switch loyalties.

BJP President Amit Shah (Photo: PTI)
 BJP President Amit Shah (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: Yadavs are now on the BJP wish list for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. BJP president Amit Shah, during his recent visit to Lucknow, asked party leaders to focus on the Yadav community and the target, once again, are the Yadav MLAs.

The 47-member Samajwadi Party has 13 Yadav legislators and the BJP will now try to woo the ‘weak links’. A section of BJP MLAs have been entrusted the task of ‘encouraging’ these MLAs to switch loyalties to the BJP. The BJP apparently wants to weaken the Samajwadi Party by weaning away its Yadav vote base before the 2019 general elections. The BJP in Uttar Pradesh does not have a Yadav face, and efforts are now on to bring up a Yadav leader, who can bring his community into the party fold.

Mr Shah launched his campaign by choosing to have lunch at the residence of a booth-level worker Sonu Yadav in Lucknow. Though he later told reporters not to read too much into the caste of the party worker, the caste angle was more than evident.

According to party sources, the BJP president has asked leaders to identify at least one prominent Yadav leader in every district. The booth level workers have also been directed to woo Yadavs and dalits and register them as members at booth levels.

“Focus on making more and more members from the Yadav and dalit communities”, Mr Shah told party ‘vistaraks’ (those directly responsible for membership drive and expansion) at a meeting.

“Though the Yadavs voted for the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, some of them returned to back the Samajwadi Party in the 2017 Assembly elections. We now wish to consolidate the Yadavs in our favour, and will be working on this mission,” said a party functionary.

The party will be focusing on the Yadav belt in the state that includes Etawah, Etah, Mainpuri, Ferozabad, Kannauj and Azamgarh. It was ion this belt that the Samajwadi Party had won five seats in the 2014 elections.

Sources said the BJP would make a conscious effort to woo Yadavs and also make sure that the Yadavs do not begin to emphasise with Mr Lalu Yadav who is trying to capitalise on the betrayal game in Bihar.

Interestingly, Yadavs form the largest chunk among OBCs in Uttar Pradesh. Of the 45 per cent OBC population, the Yadav share is about 9 per cent, followed by other OBC castes like Kurmi, Lodh and Jat.

The BJP has already made inroads into the Kurmi vote ban through the Apna Dal (Sonelal) — a Kurmi based political outfit — which is an ally of the party at the centre and in the state.

Tags: amit shah, yadav community
Location: India, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow