UP tug-of-war over brahmins

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The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is desperately trying to retain them and the Samajwadi Party is trying to woo them. Between the two parties, it is the brahmin voters who are enjoying being pampered.

The BSP may have reverted to its dalit agenda but the party is also trying to make sure that it does not send out wrong signals to its brahmin voters.
Reports of brahmins getting alienated from the BSP have apparently rattled the party leadership that is now making a conscious effort to assuage the feelings of Brahmin voters.
Satish Chandra Misra, who is known as BSP’s brahmin face, has regained his lost political space in the party and is back in power once again. brahmin bureaucrats are also returning to positions of power and brahmin leaders are being handled with kid gloves.
The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, is keen to cash in on the brahmin disillusionment with the BSP and is going all out to remind brahmin of the manner in which the ruling party has humiliated them.
The Samajwadi Party, on Sunday, celebrated “Parshuram Jayanti” with gusto under the aegis of “Samajwadi brahmin Sabha” and reminded brahmins that it was the Mulayam Singh government that had declared a holiday on “Parshuram Jayanti”.
“The Samajwadi Party has always given due respect and recognition to brahmins. Some of our top leaders, incidentally, have been brahmins like S M Joshi, Mama Baleshwar Dayal, Janeshwar Misra and Madhu Limaye. I call upon Brahmins to lead the fight against corruption and criminalization and the Samajwadi Party will join them,” said Akhilesh Yadav, state SP president, while addressing a programme on Parshuram Jayanti on Sunday.
The Samajwadi Party, according to sources, will now organize meetings in all districts to woo the brahmins and remind them how the BSP has used their votes to come to power but has not done anything for the community as such.