04-16-2009, 08:46 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Dismayed Brahmins may leave Maya for Ram</b>
pioneer.com
Kumar Uttam | Gorakhpur
While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati continues to bank on the magical combination of Dalits and Brahmins â the social engineering formula that fetched her the Lucknow throne in the 2007 Assembly election; there seems to be clear disenchantment among Brahmins who voted the Dalit queen to power with a thumping majority.
Struggling to shelve the image of being just a Dalit leader, Mayawati deviated from the normal practice and did not announce the caste break-up of her candidates in the recently-declared BSP list for the Lok Sabha election.
Of the 29 nominees picked from among the Hindu upper castes, she picked up 20 Brahmins, four Thakurs, three Banias and two others. Two prominent Brahmin candidates â Bhishm Shankar Tiwari and Vinay Shankar Tiwari from Sant Kabir Nagar and Gorakhpur respectively â are sons of don-turned-Minister Hari Shankar Tiwari.
While other backward classes (OBCs) got a handsome chunk of 20 seats, the number of Dalits did not exceed the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies reserved for the community. The BSP has never been able to poll more than 25 per cent votes, which is close to the strength of the Dalit population in the State â 22 per cent. The BSP strategists say that this compelled Maya to think of a larger combination that could add weight to her prime ministerial ambitions.
The preference for Brahmins in the BSP list this time indicates that Mayawati continues to bank on âsocial engineeringâ of bringing together upper and lower castes that gave her power in Uttar Pradesh in 2007. âThe Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are different. We voted for Mayawati to keep Mulayam out. This time, we will vote to elect a Prime Minister,â said Dr S Pathak, an employee at Banaras Hindu University.
Political observes say that <b>Mayawati may attract the votes of Brahmins on seats where it has fielded candidates of the same caste, but outside the preference of the community will be the BJP or the Congress. âBrahmins will vote for a strong caste candidate, irrespective of the political party,â </b>said Dr K C Pandey, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasabha.
Brahmins, who had been traditionally the Congressâs vote bank in Uttar Pradesh, switched over to the BJP post-Mandal reaction in the nineties. While Atal Behari Vajpayeeâs name initially attracted Brahmins to the BJP, the partyâs continuous efforts for OBC and other <b>non-Brahmin leaders like Kalyan Singh took a heavy toll on the saffron party.</b>
A totally disenchanted Brahmin community then lapped up Mayawatiâs magical formula as she went on to field many candidates of their caste and subsequently promoted them in the State bureaucracy after retuning to power. Now Brahmins are seated on key posts, right from the Secretariat in Lucknow to Government offices in the block.
But political observes say that due to lack of an ideological commitment with the BSP, Brahmins canât hold on to Mayawati for long, more so because she put up a desperate face to wean away Muslims from the Samajwadi camp. Moreover, there is a <b>clear hesitation among Brahmins about a Dalit PM. </b>
The Congress and the BJP are already out to get the Brahmins back into their fold. Both the national parties have fielded some prominent and popular Brahmins across the States<b>. âBrahmins are returning to the BJP in droves. We are hopeful of better results this time,â claimed BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, BJP in-charge for Uttar Pradesh. </b>
The UP Chief Minister may face the ire of Brahmin voters in Vindhyachal for having <b>denied tickets to Brahmin candidates â Suraymani Tiwary (Bhadohi) and Ramesh Dubey (Mirzapur) â after nominating them. </b>
Mayaâs image also received a drubbing after her decision to cancel the recruitment of lakhs of sub-inspectors. It was only after the intervention of Allahabad bench of the Lucknow High Court that those who got jobs were reinstated. Moreover, the <b>upper caste is apprehensive about the CMâs intentions to bring about a more stringent reservation regime.</b>
To add to her woes, Maya seems to have repeated the mistake that Mulayam Singh committed â depending too much on candidates with criminal records. â<b>She is no different from Mulayam. We have to vote for a national party,â </b>said Sahab Sharan, an employee at Mahatma Gandhi Intermediate College at Sikandarpur under Salempur Lok Sabha segment.
<b>The UP Chief Minister seems to be compensating the loss of Brahmin votes (in regions where she does not have a Brahmin candidate) with Muslim votes.</b> Moreover, Dalits are standing rock solid behind her<b>, hoping for a day when a blue flag would be hoisted over Lal Quila in New Delhi</b>.
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pioneer.com
Kumar Uttam | Gorakhpur
While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati continues to bank on the magical combination of Dalits and Brahmins â the social engineering formula that fetched her the Lucknow throne in the 2007 Assembly election; there seems to be clear disenchantment among Brahmins who voted the Dalit queen to power with a thumping majority.
Struggling to shelve the image of being just a Dalit leader, Mayawati deviated from the normal practice and did not announce the caste break-up of her candidates in the recently-declared BSP list for the Lok Sabha election.
Of the 29 nominees picked from among the Hindu upper castes, she picked up 20 Brahmins, four Thakurs, three Banias and two others. Two prominent Brahmin candidates â Bhishm Shankar Tiwari and Vinay Shankar Tiwari from Sant Kabir Nagar and Gorakhpur respectively â are sons of don-turned-Minister Hari Shankar Tiwari.
While other backward classes (OBCs) got a handsome chunk of 20 seats, the number of Dalits did not exceed the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies reserved for the community. The BSP has never been able to poll more than 25 per cent votes, which is close to the strength of the Dalit population in the State â 22 per cent. The BSP strategists say that this compelled Maya to think of a larger combination that could add weight to her prime ministerial ambitions.
The preference for Brahmins in the BSP list this time indicates that Mayawati continues to bank on âsocial engineeringâ of bringing together upper and lower castes that gave her power in Uttar Pradesh in 2007. âThe Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are different. We voted for Mayawati to keep Mulayam out. This time, we will vote to elect a Prime Minister,â said Dr S Pathak, an employee at Banaras Hindu University.
Political observes say that <b>Mayawati may attract the votes of Brahmins on seats where it has fielded candidates of the same caste, but outside the preference of the community will be the BJP or the Congress. âBrahmins will vote for a strong caste candidate, irrespective of the political party,â </b>said Dr K C Pandey, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasabha.
Brahmins, who had been traditionally the Congressâs vote bank in Uttar Pradesh, switched over to the BJP post-Mandal reaction in the nineties. While Atal Behari Vajpayeeâs name initially attracted Brahmins to the BJP, the partyâs continuous efforts for OBC and other <b>non-Brahmin leaders like Kalyan Singh took a heavy toll on the saffron party.</b>
A totally disenchanted Brahmin community then lapped up Mayawatiâs magical formula as she went on to field many candidates of their caste and subsequently promoted them in the State bureaucracy after retuning to power. Now Brahmins are seated on key posts, right from the Secretariat in Lucknow to Government offices in the block.
But political observes say that due to lack of an ideological commitment with the BSP, Brahmins canât hold on to Mayawati for long, more so because she put up a desperate face to wean away Muslims from the Samajwadi camp. Moreover, there is a <b>clear hesitation among Brahmins about a Dalit PM. </b>
The Congress and the BJP are already out to get the Brahmins back into their fold. Both the national parties have fielded some prominent and popular Brahmins across the States<b>. âBrahmins are returning to the BJP in droves. We are hopeful of better results this time,â claimed BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, BJP in-charge for Uttar Pradesh. </b>
The UP Chief Minister may face the ire of Brahmin voters in Vindhyachal for having <b>denied tickets to Brahmin candidates â Suraymani Tiwary (Bhadohi) and Ramesh Dubey (Mirzapur) â after nominating them. </b>
Mayaâs image also received a drubbing after her decision to cancel the recruitment of lakhs of sub-inspectors. It was only after the intervention of Allahabad bench of the Lucknow High Court that those who got jobs were reinstated. Moreover, the <b>upper caste is apprehensive about the CMâs intentions to bring about a more stringent reservation regime.</b>
To add to her woes, Maya seems to have repeated the mistake that Mulayam Singh committed â depending too much on candidates with criminal records. â<b>She is no different from Mulayam. We have to vote for a national party,â </b>said Sahab Sharan, an employee at Mahatma Gandhi Intermediate College at Sikandarpur under Salempur Lok Sabha segment.
<b>The UP Chief Minister seems to be compensating the loss of Brahmin votes (in regions where she does not have a Brahmin candidate) with Muslim votes.</b> Moreover, Dalits are standing rock solid behind her<b>, hoping for a day when a blue flag would be hoisted over Lal Quila in New Delhi</b>.
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