In a move that could prove to be a game changer for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the party is said to be toying with the idea of playing the upper caste card in the state.
In a move that could prove to be a game changer for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the party is said to be toying with the idea of playing the upper caste card in the state.
“Since the BJP, SP and the BSP are playing the OBC and dalit cards, we feel that the Congress should play the upper caste card and win back Brahmins, in particular,” said a senior party leader.
The Brahmins in the state are feeling sidelined after the BJP focus shifted to OBCs and the last hopes of the community were dashed when the party appointed an OBC as its state chief.
“Our strategy will be to focus on upper castes — Brahmins, Thakurs and other caste groups — and also on non-Jatav dalits and non-Yadav OBCs. Dalits, other than Jatavs, have invariably been ignored in the BSP while the non-Yadav OBCs have no say in the Samajwadi Party. The BJP will be focusing on the Maurya, Kushwaha community and we will focus on other OBCs, including Most Backward Castes,” the leader explained.
A detailed questionnaire was recently sent to all district leaders in an attempt to seek their feedback on this issue.
Congress strategists feel that if the party plays the upper caste card, Muslims would also align with the party.
Muslims are apparently disillusioned with the Samajwadi Party but at present have no option other than SP. Muslims are still unwilling to trust the BSP which has formed government thrice with BJP support.
Political strategist Prashant Kishor, sources said, has also convinced Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to concentrate on caste groups that are not being pursued by rival parties.
After the results of the ongoing state Assembly elections are announced next month, changes will be affected in the UP Congress.
The change in leadership in the UP Congress is long overdue and UPCC president Nirmal Khatri has exceeded his term.
“A change of guard in UPCC and the CLP will soon be announced. The chairman of the campaign committee will also be appointed and the candidates for these three important posts will be from upper castes, non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav dalits so that a clear message goes down the line,” said a senior party leader.
The Congress has been at a loss to understand the casteist dynamics in UP after the issues of casteism and communalism took over in the early 90s.
The party has experimented with leaders from various caste groups in the past two-and-a-half decades but has failed to regain lost ground.
If it finally does, this will be the first time that the Congress will be playing an upper caste card in the elections in a clear bid to regain its Brahmin-Muslim-dalit vote-bank.
