UP polls: Dharmendra Pradhan holds brainstorming session with party's Brahmin leaders

NEW DELHI: The BJP's Uttar Pradesh poll in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan Sunday held a brainstorming session with the party's Brahmin leaders from the state where it was decided to form a committee to carry out the BJP's reach out activities to the community, sources said.
With an aim to keep caste equations in BJP's favour ahead of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh next year, Pradhan held more than three-hour marathon meeting at his residence here which was attended by over a dozen Brahmin leaders, they said.
During the meeting, it was decided to form an informal committee of the party's Brahmin leaders to reach out to this crucial segment of voters and share the various welfare measures meant for them such as 10 per cent reservation for poor hailing from upper caste, they said.
The meeting at Pradhan's residence was attended by the party's all prominent Brahmin leaders from the state which, among others, included Jitin Prasada, Ramapati Tripathi, several MPs, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, state cabinet ministers Shrikant Sharma and Brijesh Pathak.
Talking to reporters afterwards, Sharma said the meeting was about the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. He categorically stated that no section of the society or caste is upset with the BJP.
"There are several Brahmin ministers in the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh and the party works by taking all sections of the society forward," he said in response to a question.
The sources said Pradhan discussed various issues with the party leaders and also took their feedback for the upcoming elections.
In its bid to woo Brahmins, the BJP had earlier held Brahmin Sammelans as an outreach exercise to the community.