EXPLAINED | Mayawati Opts 14-Year-Old Formula To Woo Brahmins Ahead Of UP Polls 2022

Mayawati has opted 14-year-old formula to woo the Brahmin community ahead of the UP Assembly Elections 2022.

BSP president Mayawati waves to the crowd during a rally | AFP

Lucknow: As the assembly elections in UP approach near, political parties have started working out on the caste equations, an infamous election trick in the most populous state of India. All the political parties in the UP Polls have started to exercise their strategy for trying to win over the Brahmin community, which has a significant influence in politics.

BSP supremo Mayawati, while talking about adopting the 2007 formula once again, has announced the commencement of the 'Brahmin Jodo Abhiyan.'

The way BSP supremo Mayawati talked about winning over Brahmins during a conversation with a news agency yesterday, it seems like the role of Brahmins will be integral in this time's assembly elections. Perhaps Mayawati realised that when she came to power in 2007 with an absolute majority, the support of Brahmins played a major role.

BSP had formed a 'Bhaichara Committee' and adopted a social engineering formula which resulted in the Brahmin community not campaigning negatively against the BSP. The party gave the maximum number of tickets (86) to Brahmins. Out of this, 41 became MLAs by winning and BSP came into power with an absolute majority.

Now, Mayawati is repeating the same 14-year-old formula and that is why the party has gathered to woo the Brahmin community as on July 23 the 'Brahmin Jodo Abhiyan' will begin in Ayodhya.

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party, BJP, and Congress are all targeting the BSP for such a move and trying to establish themselves as the biggest benefactors of Brahmins.

Brahmin Equation In UP

Brahmins have always played an important role in the politics of UP. So far, there have been 6 Brahmin Chief Ministers in the state. Although, all of them happened to be from Congress.

In 2017, Congress had declared Sheila Dikshit as the CM of UP. If we look at the state's politics, in the last few elections, the winning party has been the one that gave the maximum number of tickets to Brahmins.

In 2007, BSP gave maximum tickets to Brahmins, and then they came to power. In 2012, when Samajwadi Party gave tickets, they came to power, and in 2017, when BJP gave maximum tickets to Brahmins, they came to power.

Perhaps this is the reason why the politics in Uttar Pradesh is ever revolving around the Brahmin vote bank.

In 2007, BSP had 41 Brahmin MLAs, BJP had three Brahmin MLAs, Samajwadi Party had 11 Brahmin MLAs, and Congress had two Brahmin MLAs. On the other hand, if we talk about 2012, the BSP had 10 Brahmin MLAs, SP had 21, BJP had six, and Congress had three.

And if we talk about 2017, there were three Brahmin MLAs of BSP, 46 Brahmin MLAs of BJP, three Brahmin MLAs of SP, and one Brahmin MLA of Congress.

The current cabinet minister in UP Swami Prasad Maurya has targeted Mayawati's 'love for Brahmins' and made some scathing remarks. He clearly said that Mayawati does not have her own vote bank left. "

"They say that the Brahmin society is the most intellectual and it does not sway by seduction and allurement. Mayawati has lost her support base. Her own vote bank is fed up with her. Now when the situation is bad, Brahmins are being remembered. The Brahmin class is with the BJP; Brahmins cannot be lured by giving them lollipops," he said.

At the same time, political analysts also believe that this is the changing politics of the changing times, where once again the love for Brahmins is rising.

In Uttar Pradesh, there is a Brahmin vote bank of around 12% to 13%. It is obvious that as the elections in Uttar Pradesh come closer, caste equations will come into play and this game of accusations and counter-accusations will intensify further.