NEW DELHI: As the 2024 elections enter the final phase, Purvanchal’s caste dynamics spotlight smaller NDA allies, Apna Dal (S), Nishad Party and SBSP as crucial for BJP.
As the 2024 general elections enter their decisive seventh phase, Uttar Pradesh’s political spotlight shifts to Purvanchal’s (eastern region’s) caste dynamics. Here, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not the sole protagonist; smaller parties within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are proving to be pivotal. In this region, where caste affiliations wield significant influence, the Apna Dal (S), Nishad Party, and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) emerge as crucial allies for the BJP.
The BJP has strategically ceded ground to these allies to fortify its position. The Nishad Party, with its sway over communities like the Nishads, Kevats, and Malhas, alongside the SBSP, which commands the support of the Rajbhar community—constituting 2.4% of UP’s electorate—and the Apna Dal (S), dependent on Kurmi voters who represent 7.4% of the state’s population, are integral to the BJP’s coalition arithmetic.
The alliance’s solidarity was prominently displayed when Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal(S), O.P. Rajbhar of SBSP, and Sanjay Nishad of the Nishad Party joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he filed his nomination from Varanasi. This symbolic gesture underscored the significance of these regional leaders and their communities in the BJP’s electoral strategy for Uttar Pradesh.
According to Professor Shashi Kant Pandey of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University Lucknow, “These parties are not big in terms of representation, but they hold substantial influence in pocket areas, and that can influence the overall result in the area.” So whether Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), or BJP, all the big parties want to give representation to them, as it ensures a smooth vote transfer.
Pandey added, “These parties know that they cannot form the government on their own; that’s why they always try to include smaller regional parties.”
Many of these smaller parties have their origins in the BSP, which emerged in the 1990s as a key representative for marginalised castes and classes left out of the post-Mandal political landscape. Both Rajbhar and Anupriya’s father, Sonelal Patel, were once close associates of the late Kanshi Ram, the influential founder of the BSP. Sonelal Patel left the BSP in 1996 to establish the Apna Dal, while Rajbhar founded his party in 2002 following a dispute with BSP leader Mayawati. The Nishad community traditionally supported neither the Samajwadi Party (SP) nor the BSP, inspired by the late Phoolan Devi, a bandit-turned-politician who was a prominent Nishad figure. Recently, the BJP has gained support from this community, which led them to create the Nishad Party in 2016.
A clear trend is emerging: small parties representing the most backward classes are developing and maturing their political leadership. They are not only building organisational capacity and patron-client networks within their ranks but also effectively articulating their political and economic demands. These parties possess the unique ability to influence outcomes in specific constituencies and excel in negotiations with larger political entities.
Professor Shashi Kant Pandey asserted, “Castes, such as Kurmis, Rajbhars, or Nishads, were not financially strong enough to run a party of their own, so they were dependent on the SP or BSP, but once Apna Dal was formed, it influenced other castes to form their party too.”
However, the drawback of these political parties is that they became family-centric parties. As we see in both Apna Dal (S) and Apna Dal (K), Anupriya Patel, and Pallavi Patel are leading it, while the SBSP has fielded Arvind Rajbhar, son of O.P. Rajbhar, as their candidate from Ghosi, while the family members of Sanjay Nishad are leading the Nishad Party.
Apna Dal was formed by Sonelal Patel, who belonged to the Kurmi caste, which is concentrated around Varanasi. In the 2024 elections, Apna Dal (Sonelal) is continuing its alliance with the BJP as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The party has fielded Anupriya Patel, the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, from Mirzapur, and Rinki Kol from Robertsganj, aiming to maintain their influence in UP.
SBSP, led by O.P. Rajbhar, which represents the Rajbhar community, which has been engaged in agriculture and other rural occupations, is predominantly located in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, particularly in the districts of Varanasi, Ghazipur, Ballia, Azamgarh, Mau, and Gorakhpur. As part of the BJP-led NDA, SBSP candidate Arvind Rajbhar is contesting from the Ghosi constituency. The votes of the Nishad community and related castes along the banks of the Ghaghra River to the floodplains of the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers are capable of determining the outcomes in approximately three dozen Lok Sabha seats. This community has a significant presence in constituencies like Gorakhpur, Bansgaon, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Allahabad, Jalaun, Banda, Faizabad, and Sant Kabir Nagar. The Nishad Party, which focuses on the politics of these votes, is part of the NDA. Similar to the 2019 elections, the BJP has fielded Nishad Party leader Praveen Nishad from the Sant Kabir Nagar seat on the BJP symbol.
MIRZAPUR
The Mirzapur Lok Sabha constituency has gained notable recognition in popular culture, particularly due to the hit crime-thriller series “Mirzapur,” produced by Amazon Prime Video. In the Kurmi-dominated area of Mirzapur, Union Minister Anupriya Patel is contesting for the third time, while three-time MLA and MP Ramesh Chand Bind, who has left the BJP, is running on the SP’s ticket. Additionally, the BSP has nominated Manish Tripathi as their candidate, and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) has fielded Daulat Singh Patel.
In Mirzapur, Patel, Bind, and Brahmin castes are dominant. Patels are the highest voters in the Mirzapur district, followed by Brahmins and Binds. There is a triangular fight this time in the electoral arena.
As Patel eyes a hat-trick, Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh, alias Raja Bhaiya, seems to be an obstacle in her path. Raja Bhaiya, whose relations with the BJP and Patel have turned sour of late, has announced his support for the SP candidate, Ramesh Chand Bind. Raja Bhaiya, whose influence is visible in Pratapgarh and Kaushambi Lok Sabha seats, may even change the equation in Mirzapur, hurting Anupriya Patel’s chances.
According to locals, Anupriya Patel, while addressing a public meeting, targeted Raja Bhaiya saying in a democracy, a king is not born from the womb of a queen. Now a king is born from the button of EVM. She said that the self-proclaimed Kunda king feels that Kunda is his property. After this statement, the party workers of Jansatta Dal Loktantrik have campaigned in Mirzapur and are supporting the SP candidate.
The main issues in this district are poor road infrastructure, along with declining “kaleen” (carpet business. But the welfare schemes by the Centre and improved law and order situations in the state are in favour of the NDA candidate. Mirzapur is also home to famous sites such as the Maa Vindhyavasini Temple at Vindhyachal Dham, the Chunar Fort, and the Windham Falls, which are well-known in the Purvanchal region.
GHOSI
In 2019, BSP candidate Atul Sing emerged victorious in Ghosi, but the BSP dropped its incumbent MP and fielded Balakrishna Chouhan, who was a Congress candidate in 2019, while the SP has fielded Rajeev Rai, who has been associated with social justice work, and the SBSP has fielded Arvind Rajbhar as an NDA candidate.
SP aims to consolidate its support among various communities, including Yadavs, Muslims, and other backward classes, while SBSP has a regional presence and focuses on issues related to the Rajbhar community and other marginalised groups.
Senior BJP leaders, including Deputy CM Brijesh Pathak, are campaigning for Rajbhar, and initially, there were reports that BJP workers were not in favour of the alliance candidate, but later the intervention from the UP leadership made things smooth for Rajbhar.
Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is campaigning for Rai, who has a good presence among the SP workers.