Faizabad caste politics in BJP’s favour

A triangular fight may well put spokes in the wheels of the SP-BSP gathbandhan (GTB) in this constituency, which includes Ayodhya, leading to the benefit of the BJP.

Lallu Singh of the BJP, a Thakur, won Faizabad with a massive margin in 2014 and his vote share of an impressive 48.08% was more than the combined share of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress candidates.

In the Assembly elections of 2017, the BJP won all the five segments that form the Lok Sabha constituency.

However, the GTB may draw some solace from the fact that the votes secured by the partners SP and BSP together in the Assembly polls for the five segments in 2017 were more than that of the BJP (5.43 lakh, as opposed to BJP’s 4.97 lakh).

The GTB is hoping that this will repeat.

A former MLA and minister in Uttar Pradesh, Lallu is the BJP candidate here again.

“There is no doubt that issues like demonetisation and GST, besides unemployment and farmers’ problems, have made an impact, but still, the BJP will make it,” explains Giridhar Nath Sharma, a trader on the busy and chaotic main road of Faizabad, in a chat with DH.

‘Unsure about rural areas’

“Urban areas are largely for the BJP, but how the rural areas vote, no one knows,” says Sushant Gupta, a hotel manager in Ayodhya.

Opposing Lallu are Anandsen Yadav from the SP and Nirmal Khatri from the Congress.

While the BJP and SP dismiss the Congress participation as not serious, the grand old party, however, says people are with it as they are fed up with the BJP and SP.

Caste lines

Like every other constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Faizabad’s fate will be decided on caste lines.

The large presence of SCs, Muslims, OBCs, besides Brahmins and Thakurs, is crucial for different parties. Of these, the non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav Scheduled Castes may decide the outcome.

“Yahan sab jaateey samikaran par nirbhar hai (the caste dynamics will decide the election outcome here),” says Manohar Datta, a school teacher.

The Pasis, a sub-sect among the SCs, are angry with SP.

They allege that Anandsen was involved in a rape and murder case (later acquitted) of a Pasi girl.

Congress’ office bearer Jagdish Sharma says Pasis, who are in large number in the constituency, will not vote for SP because of this. “Those making this allegation should know that the court has quashed the cases against Anandsen,” says SP’s minority cell office bearer Kamil Hasnen.

Along with Pasis (non-Jatav SCs), the non-Yadav OBCs may turn out to be crucial in deciding the outcome. Because of these fault lines, there is a possibility of votes being divided among three parties, especially between the SP and Congress.

As the Jatavs (the caste to which BSP supremo Mayawati belongs) are less in number here compared to the Pasis, the BJP believes the latter would vote for its candidate in large numbers.

A local BJP leader, B B Manik Tripathi, claimed the caste arithmetic would favour the BJP.

The people will vote for the good work done by Lallu in the constituency but they mainly vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he adds.