Agra, Uttar Pradesh: The battle for Uttar Pradesh’s Dalit votes escalated on Wednesday with BSP Chief Mayawati finally making an appearance and launching her election campaign in Western UP with a public meeting in Agra. She made her first election campaign event speech just eight days before the seven-phased polls start.
As per the Election Commission’s new guidelines up to 1,000 people are allowed in public meetings. Mayawati’s event was held at the famous Kothi Meena Bazar ground in Agra, a place that usually sees a sea of public members when political bigwigs address the voters. However, due to the poll body’s restrictions, only BSP party workers were allowed on the main ground – they were given passes before the event.
Locals had to view the events from beyond the boundary barricades.
The four-time Chief Minister made sharp attacks against the BJP, saying, “BJP’s work is based on casteist divisions and narrow political agendas which is why there has been no proper development. People were exploited. Tension was created in the name of communalism. Crimes have increased… especially against Dalits and women.”
She also answered all the questions that had been doing the rounds so far about her absence in the campaign.
“All those in the media who asked “Where is Behenji? She is not being seen anywhere.” Let me tell you Behenji is right here and has been carrying out poll preparations,” she said.
Agra with its population of over 7.5 lakh Dalits is known as the Dalit capital of UP and most of these are from the Jatav community which is BSP’s core vote bank.
For BSP, it is now a fight to regain its stronghold seat Agra has nine assembly seats, two of which are reserved for Scheduled Castes (Agra rural and Agra Cantt).
Until 2017, Agra was a BSP bastion with the party winning most of the nine seats. BSP won six out of the nine seats in 2007 and in 2012.In 2017, BJP won all 9 seats of Agra mainly due to votes from non-Jatav Dalits like Valmikis, Pasis and Katiks.
Across the state, Dalits comprise 21 per cent of the population and Jatavs form over 50 per cent of this Dalit electorate, making it the dominant sub-caste
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Many say that Dalits have been betrayed by the government and there are echoes of Hathras which is only 50 km away where a 19-year-old Dalit girl died after being gang-raped and her body was cremated overnight in September last year.
Mahesh Jatav, a local resident who came to view Mayawati’s event said, “Mayawati ensured welfare of each section of society whether it was a lower-middle-class person or big traders. The current government has done nothing. Dalits are exploited in this government. A Dalit’s daughter was raped and the administration cremated her.”
