Amit Shah, BJP decry caste politics but will bank on it in UP

For Amit Shah, who has the responsibility of ensuring that the BJP gets the numbers it needs in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the biggest challenge will be beating the twin behemoths of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, but he is a confident man. Shah is not only confident of emerging the single largest party from UP, but also of being able to break down the much talked about Third Front in a post poll scenario. [caption id=“attachment_1382123” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Shah is a confident man: AFP[/caption] Shah, who is a close confidante of the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate, wouldn’t disclose where Narendra Modi would contest the Lok Sabha elections from just yet, but in an exclusive interview to the Economic Times , admitted that he would like him to contest from the state to boost the party’s results there. According to the former Gujarat minister, the party’s biggest competitor in the state will not be the Samajwadi Party or the Congress, but the Bahujan Samaj Party, and said the party would continue to fight for the rights of the other backward castes in the state. “If Muslims get reservation on the basis of their caste we have no objection, but we will object and oppose if they get reservation on the basis of their religion. There are some castes among Muslims that fall in the OBC category. We have no objection to reservations for them,” Shah said. In an interview to the Times of India the party leader pointed out that they were hopeful of winning back the support of the backward castes who would back them in their opposition against reservations for Muslims. “This time they are looking up to us because they are angry with SP, BSP and Congress because of their advocacy for Muslim quota in jobs and in educational institutions. They know that with the Supreme Court-mandated 50 percent cap on quotas, the 18 percent that has been promised to Muslims can come only at their cost,” he said.   The wooing of other backward castes will be critical for the BJP to ensure that it has a chance at winning a majority of the 80 seats in the state. Modi and his party have been highlighting the fact that he hails from a backward caste himself. The BJP leader is also not worried about a third front, which could include potential ally AIADMK, and is confident of the BJP’s ability to break the alliance of regional parties once the results are in. Calling the third front a ‘figment of some people’s imagination’, he said the political bloc was merely an attempt by regional parties to seek votes on the grounds of forming a national entity. However, Shah still has no explanation for how the party can hope to hit its target of over 272 seats despite its weak presence in south India and is instead banking on a wave of support for Modi. An article in the Hindu  points out that the party will also work to bring more non-Yadav leaders from OBCs into its fold ahead of elections and will field them in addition to its upper caste candidates. While campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, Modi has stuck firmly to his image of being development focused and has left issues related to religion and caste to deputies like Shah. Mayawati, however, will be competing for a piece of the same pie and will be looking at better results than the 2009 elections thanks to a perceived anti-incumbency sentiment against the present Samajwadi Party government. However, unlike Modi and the BJP she has not pointed to any national agenda and so far as has sought support on the grounds of being the only alternative to the Samajwadi Party in the state. The BSP will remain the wildcard in the political stakes in this election. If it emerges the largest party in the state it can expect to be a important component of the Third Front or any other political alliance. Even if it isn’t the largest party but eats into the BJP’s predicted voteshare of 38 percent, it could dent the party’s plans severely. It doesn’t help the BJP that it hasn’t made significant inroads with the Muslim community in the state. Shah has reportedly been working hard on ensuring that the party’s performance is on the expected lines but fpr the BJP to make a radical jump from 10 seats in 2009 to anything in the twenties or higher will be a tough ask. The former Gujarat minister may like us to believe that the party will be relying on development to attract votes but will be banking on old caste and communal issues to ensure that he achieves his party’s objectives.