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BJP all set to project Modi as OBC face of party in UP

With repeated failures in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now planning to replicate the Kalyan Singh model in the state by projecting Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, as the Other Backward Class (OBC) face of the party. The party leadership has already conducted a survey in few constituencies and has received a positive feedback informed a BJP leader.

According to BJP sources, the party is planning to tap into the non-Yadav OBC vote bank, which constitute about 30 percent in the state. Even in the 2012 assembly elections, the BJP had tried to capitalise on the OBC factor, by parachuting Uma Bharti as the OBC face of the party. This move however, failed miserably. The party has already inducted former chief minster Kalyan Singh, an OBC  into the party.

‘We don’t have much hope from Kalyan Singh as his influence has decreased significantly and Uma Bharti’s projection as a Lodh leader could not increase the fortunes of the party, so this time we are hopeful that Modi’s projection as a backward leader will help us increase our tally,’ said a senior BJP leader. The BJP has already projected Modi as a backward leader in Bihar.

The BJP leaders are of the view that Brahmins, Thakurs and Kayasth,  moved away from BJP as the party could not emerge as a viable option after Ayodhya movement. In 2007 upper caste had, moved towards Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and in 2012 there a substantial shift towards Samajwadi Party.

Political experts are of the opinion that a political vacuum  does exist in Uttar Pradesh, when it comes to non- yadav OBC and the BJP during the 2012 assembly elections had tried to capitalise on it by fielding a substantial number of Kurmi and Lodh candidates. The party however, could not reap much dividend out of this move.

The graph of BJP in Uttar Pradesh has continuously slided after the 1998 general elections when the party won 46 seats out of 80 seats in the state,whereas  in  2009 general elections, the party had managed to win mere 10 seats in the state.
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