Top rung of BJP upset at move to push Uma in U.P.
The BJP’s top leadership, ranging from Sushma Swaraj, Varun Gandhi and Rajnath Singh to Kalraj Mishra, are upset at BJP chief Nitn Gadkari’s move to “promote” saffron sanyasin Uma Bharti in Uttar Pradesh politics.
Varun Gandhi, the BJP’s young face, who was emerging as the saffron answer to the Gandhi family in UP, is likely to keep his campaigning “as sparse as possible”, sources said. However, Ms Bharti has the backing of Mr L.K. Advani and Mr Gadkari. Mr Advani is likely to wield his influence over the leaders who resent Ms Bharti’s foray into UP politics.
Despite the opposition within, Mr Gadkari’s camp felt the move to “promote” Ms Bharti “will yield results”. The BJP, which has a strong upper-caste base, is now desperately fighting to get the majority of the OBC vote bank in its coffer. OBCs in the state constitute nearly 50 per cent of the vote share.
For the Gadkari camp, projecting Ms Bharti, who is from the “most backward” Lodh community, would send the required signal to the OBCs and also consolidate the Hindu hardline vote bank. After Mr Kalyan Singh, she is the “tallest backward leader” the BJP has had in the state.
Though the BJP had to withdraw its newly acquired OBC leader, Babu Singh Kushwaha, following his alleged involvement in the NRHM scam, a section claimed the move to induct him has sent a positive signal to the OBCs in the state.
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