To take on the might of the BSP-SP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party is banking on non-Yadav, non-Jatav support in the Lok Sabha elections.

Giving rest to speculations, the BJP has denied tickets to a number of sitting MPs including the chairman of SC/ST Commission Ram Shankar Katheria and union minister of state Krishna Raj.

Even as the alliance comprising the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is working on the caste calculus of YadavJatav-Muslim and Jat votes to stop the winning chariot of the BJP, the saffron party has reworked its caste formula by changing candidates on four reserved seats.

On Agra seat, which has a large concentration of Scheduled Caste voters, particularly the Jatav community, the BJP has fielded UP minister SP Singh Baghel to win the support of non-Jatav voters. To counter the BSP sway over Jatav voters, the BJP has given preference to Pasi community whose vote is decisive in central UP seats. Besides fielding sitting MP Kaushal Kishore from Mohanlalganj, the party has named Jai Prakash Rawat from Hardoi and Ashok Rawat from Misrikh. The trio belong to Pasi community.

Turncoat Arun Sagar, who had contested the 2017 assembly election on BSP ticket from Powayan seat, has been given ticket from Shahjahanpur.

Sanghmitra Maurya, daughter of UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya, has been fielded from Badaun seat which is the stronghold of the Samajwadi Party.

A BJP leader, who did not wish to be named, said: “Maurya, Kushwaha, Shakya and Saini are considered the traditional support base of the party. The Congress went for pre-poll alliance with Mahan Dal that has considerable influence over this community in west UP. To counter the Congress and to maintain its hold over the non-Yadav voters, the BJP has fielded Sanghmitra from Badaun.”

“Swami Prasad Maurya is considered an influential leader of the backward community. With his support, the BJP is working to breach the SP fort. On Sambhal seat, the party has fielded Parmeshwar Lal Saini after denying ticket to Satyapal Singh,” he added.

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The support of Jats was an important factor in sweeping west UP seats, considered to be the strong base of the BSP and RLD. To win the support of Jats, the BJP has not only given tickets to influential leaders but sitting MP from Fatehpur Sikri Chaudhary Babulal has been replaced by Raj Kumar Chaher, who belongs to Jat community.

The alliance has allotted Mathura seat, represented by Hema Malini, to RLD to make inroads into the Jat votebank.

BJP spokesperson Chandramohan said, “The social factor played an important role in the selection of candidates. Acting on the feedback of workers and office-bearers, the party changed candidates on half-a-dozen seats. Sitting MPs who performed well have been given ticket. The winnability factor was also considered in the selection of candidates.” Shiv Kumar Prasad, a political observer and a teacher at the Purvanchal University, said: “Learning lessons from the defeat in last year’s Lok Sabha by-polls, the BJP is aware that Yadavs and Jatavs form the support base of BSP-SP alliance.”

“It is working on the support of KurmiPasi-Maurya-Jat and upper caste on Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Kairana seats. The saffron brigade is also wooing the Nishad, Rajbhar and Pal communities whose vote is decisive on several seats in central and east UP,” he said.

Lok Sabha election 2019: Here is all you need to know about Uttar Pradesh

First Published: Mar 25, 2019 12:31 IST