Lok Sabha elections 2019: BJP woos OBCs, panders to rebels for caste math

LUCKNOW: Has the BJP played its OBC card strategically in accommodating its Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj, who sent a letter threatening that his dropping might lead to a backlash, and the two caste-dominated outfits SBSP and Apna Dal to counter the influence of the SP-SP-RLD alliance in UP?

But, political observers say that, in the process the BJP maybe marginalising the Brahmins by denying ticket to Kalraj Mishra from Deoria and Murli Manohar Joshi from Kanpur.

Some like Assembly Speaker Hridaya Narain Dixit and minister in state cabinet Brijesh Pathak have also stake their claim.

Sakshi had been pressurising the party leadership for ticket from Unnao parliamentary constituency, where Dixit and Pathak were also staking their claim. The party, however, denied tickets to four MPs in reserved constituencies – Agra , Misrikh, Hardoi and Shahjahanpur and replaced them with fresh faces.

Both SBSP and Apna Dal are dominated by backward castes --Kurmis and the Rajbhars -- respectively and the leadership of the two outfits were unsparing on the BJP and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath .

As BJP chief Amit Shah has announced two seats for Apna Dal, SBSP is also likely to get one seat soon, as formal announcement is awaited.