Tejashwi eyes upper caste votes, but it may not be an easy task
In Bihar’s caste-centric politics, RJD chief Lalu Prasad ruled the state for 15 years by assiduously cultivating Muslim-Yadav voters. But his son and leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav is ready to get into uncharted waters by making inroads into upper-caste vote bank too.
The RJD even achieved initial success by garnering support of a section of Bhumihars (members of a dominant upper caste) in the Bochaha by-poll. BJP Rajya Sabha member and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi too expressed his concern over upper castes not favouring his party’s candidate in the by-poll.
JD (U) national spokesperson KC Tyagi said that the erosion of BJP’s vote bank during the by-election was a matter of concern not only for the BJP but its allies, including JD (U), too. The annoyance of Brahamarshi Samaj (Bhumihars), who had consistently participated in the anti-Lalu campaign through its non-political organisations, had come to the fore, he added.
Tejashwi changing tack
Ever since Tejaswi Yadav started calling shots in the party, he has been leaving no stone unturned to makeover the party’s image. He wants that RJD should shed the tag of being a party primarily of only the Muslims and Yadavs and should be seen as an ‘A to Z’ party.
To this end, in the recently-concluded MLC elections, RJD had fielded a large number of upper caste candidates — 5 Bhumihars, 4 Rajputs and 1 Brahmin.
India Today special correspondent Pushya Mitra said that Tejashwi`s attempt to expand his party’s support base is quite understandable but it would not be so simple. RJD has suffered an erosion in its traditional vote bank and even Muslims are not as solidly behind the RJD as once they used to be, he said adding, Tejashwi is thus wooing upper castes to recoup losses. But it is a formidable task and the RJD will have to fully activate its machinery, think-tank and workers if it really intends to make inroads into the upper-caste vote bank.
Also read: Uncertainty over RJD-Congress alliance as Tejashwi pushes for a re-look
Social activist Rupesh Kumar said the RJD cannot win the support of upper castes until the party gives them important party positions and involves them in decision-making. The party has to show more trust in leaders from upper castes and should give more tickets to them in elections so that it leaves an impact, he said. If RJD denies a ticket to an upper caste leader only because he lost in the last election, how can it win the support of members of that particular caste, he asked.
Is it a temporary phenomenon?
Mitra said that Bhumihars and other upper castes are ‘natural’ supporters of the BJP and if a section of Bhumihars has voted for RJD in Bochaha by-poll, it is a temporary phenomenon. They will return to RJD sooner or later, he added.
Instead of concentrating too much on upper castes, the RJD should try to win back the support of non-Yadav OBCs and EBCs as all these castes were solidly behind the erstwhile Janata Dal till 1995. The Yadavs once used to give protection to lower castes and also fought against upper castes on their behalf, he said. Lower castes also reciprocated it by casting their votes in favour of Janata Dal and later, the RJD.
Later, Mitra pointed out, even Yadavs started behaving like upper castes and became tormentors of lower castes as they climbed the ladder of success in politics. In the process, RJD’s social partners (lower castes) got disenchanted with the party, he added.
The possibility of a backlash?
As the RJD tries to make inroads into upper castes, it is also apprehensive about a backlash from its traditional vote bank, particularly from Yadavs, a political analyst noted.
To pre-empt any such possibility, Tejashwi, in his meetings with the leaders from his caste, always points out that RJD cannot form the government in the state with just the support of M-Y vote bank and needs support from other castes too, he added.
Political analyst Kamal Kant Sahay, however, said that chances of a backlash from RJD’s core voters were not so great as they know very well that without the support of other castes, RJD cannot return to power.
He said that the RJD enjoyed the support of a vast chunk of OBCs as Lalu played Mandal politics deftly. But after Nitish became chief minister, he started wooing EBCs by giving them reservation in jobs and also in elections to panchayat and civic bodies. Nitish thus created a separate political umbrella by clubbing most backwards among OBCs as EBCs and got their support.
To counter Nitish’s successful move, Tejashwi has also started concentrating on attracting EBCs to his party fold, he added.
How viable is ‘A to Z’ theory?
Pravin Bagi, another political analyst, also raised doubts over the success of Tejashwi’s ‘A to Z’ theory. The theory, he said, was not very viable as the RJD’s entire politics is based on backward politics. Only those upper-caste leaders got associated with the RJD who were staunch supporters of the politics of socialism, he added. Bagi said that upper caste members who had supported RJD, gradually got annoyed with the party due to Yadav hegemony.
Without naming Bihar RJD president Jagdanand Singh and party MLA Tej Pratap Yadav, he said that a political greenhorn (Tej) was using abusive language against a seasoned politician (Singh). It sends a wrong message to the upper castes as Singh is a Rajput by caste, he added.
Bagi is also of the opinion that Bochaha by-poll result would not have a lasting impact as claimed by RJD. The BJP lost because former BJP minister Suresh Sharma (a Bhumihar leader) was annoyed with the party leadership for some reason and did not campaign in support of the BJP candidate. Also, RJD candidate Amar Kumar Paswan got sympathy votes as the by-poll was necessitated following the death of his father Musafir Paswan, he pointed out.
Disenchantment with the BJP?
Sahay also said it was too early to infer that upper castes were distancing themselves from the BJP. Though, he pointed out, it is also true that the BJP is not giving the desired representation to upper castes, particularly Bhumihars. Except for Union minister Giriraj Singh, there is no prominent Bhumihar face in Bihar BJP. BJP had even denied ticket to influential Bhumihar BJP leader Sachchidanand Rai in the recent MLC elections, he said. Singh ultimately contested the election as an independent candidate and won.
Also read: BJP, JD-U bicker over Yogi Model vs Nitish Model in Bihar
On the other hand, RJD chose Anant Singh, who wields clout in Tal area of Mokama in Patna district, as party candidate for the assembly and another influential leader from the upper caste, Amarendra Dhari Singh, for Rajya Sabha. He said that BJP should be cautious of RJD moves.
Backward caste leaders dominate BJP
A senior journalist noted that backward leaders like Samrat Choudhary and Nityanand Rai were more influential in the BJP. Deputy chief minister Tarkishore Prasad is an OBC leader while Renu Devi, who also holds the same post, is an EBC leader, he pointed out.
It gives the impression that the BJP does not care much about upper castes, who constitute around 18 per cent of the state’s population, by considering them as captive voters, he added. In the process, BJP can invite the wrath of upper castes as seen in the Bochaha by-poll.
But, says a political analyst, it is difficult to say whether upper castes will leave the saffron party since now BJP is riding on Hindutva and nationalism wave. Albeit there can be some aberrations, he said.
Also read: More drama in Lalu family as Tej Pratap shifts to Rabri Devi residence
