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Home >> Dehradun

Will BJP’s attempt to strike caste balance ensure victory in LS polls?

| Friday | 22nd March, 2019

Our only focus is to bring back Narendra Modi to power again in 2019,” he alleged. We are not concerned with caste politics. Dehradun: The BJP’s strategy to field Tirath Singh Rawat, a Thakur leader, from Pauri Garhwal constituency— regared as a Brahmin seat— and Ajay Bhatt, a Brahmin leader, from Nanital — regarded as a Thakur seat— is going to be a social engineering of sorts according to poll watchers .As per estimates, Thakurs constitute 35% of the state’s population, while 25% of the residents are Brahmins. Tweaking the pattern might upset both the communities in the hills,” Udit Ghildiyal, a political observer, said.Notably, the entry of former Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) director, Col Ajay Kothiyal, as a possible independent candidate, might also divide votes, as the constituency has a sizable population of ex-servicemen.However, BJP leader Ajay Bhatt dismissed assertions that disturbing the caste equation might affect the party adversely.“Our party’s agenda of development is nation first. Traditionally, the political parties have maintained a caste balance in the five Lok Sabha seats by giving two tickets each to Thakurs and Brahmins, while one ticket (for Almora, a reserved seat) goes to a Dalit.What prompted the BJP to field a Thakur leader, Tirath Singh Rawat, from the Pauri seat is the fact that he is considered to be the protégé of former chief minister and BJP veteran Maj Gen (retd) BC Khanduri, who is sitting BJP MP from Pauri.Political observers believe that Rawat’s nomination for the seat has disturbed the caste equation since the party had to cut Bhagat Singh Koshyari—a Thakur leader—and field Ajay Bhatt, a Brahmin, to maintain the caste balance.The analysts claim that with BC Khanduri’s son Manish likely to contest from the Pauri seat, the Brahmin voters might drift away from the BJP and tilt towards Congress “For Uttarakhand, the caste balance is simple: two seats for Thakurs (Tehri and Nainital) and two for Brahmins (Haridwar and Pauri), and one (Almora) in reserved category.

Dehradun: The BJP’s strategy to field Tirath Singh Rawat, a Thakur leader, from Pauri Garhwal constituency— regared as a Brahmin seat— and Ajay Bhatt, a Brahmin leader, from Nanital — regarded as a Thakur seat— is going to be a social engineering of sorts according to poll watchers .As per estimates, Thakurs constitute 35% of the state’s population, while 25% of the residents are Brahmins. Traditionally, the political parties have maintained a caste balance in the five Lok Sabha seats by giving two tickets each to Thakurs and Brahmins, while one ticket (for Almora, a reserved seat) goes to a Dalit.What prompted the BJP to field a Thakur leader, Tirath Singh Rawat, from the Pauri seat is the fact that he is considered to be the protégé of former chief minister and BJP veteran Maj Gen (retd) BC Khanduri, who is sitting BJP MP from Pauri.Political observers believe that Rawat’s nomination for the seat has disturbed the caste equation since the party had to cut Bhagat Singh Koshyari—a Thakur leader—and field Ajay Bhatt, a Brahmin, to maintain the caste balance.The analysts claim that with BC Khanduri’s son Manish likely to contest from the Pauri seat, the Brahmin voters might drift away from the BJP and tilt towards Congress “For Uttarakhand, the caste balance is simple: two seats for Thakurs (Tehri and Nainital) and two for Brahmins (Haridwar and Pauri), and one (Almora) in reserved category. Tweaking the pattern might upset both the communities in the hills,” Udit Ghildiyal, a political observer, said.Notably, the entry of former Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) director, Col Ajay Kothiyal, as a possible independent candidate, might also divide votes, as the constituency has a sizable population of ex-servicemen.However, BJP leader Ajay Bhatt dismissed assertions that disturbing the caste equation might affect the party adversely.“Our party’s agenda of development is nation first. We are not concerned with caste politics. Our only focus is to bring back Narendra Modi to power again in 2019,” he alleged.

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