As the Lok Sabha elections draw near, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) top leadership is strategically focusing on disrupting the Muslim-Yadav (MY) equation of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Lav-Kush equation of the Janata Dal (United) in Bihar.
The core vote bank of the RJD comprises Muslims and Yadavs, who have been loyal to Lalu Prasad Yadav for years in Bihar. According to the recent caste-based survey of Bihar, Muslims constitute 17.8 percent, and Yadavs make up 14.26 percent of the state's population.
The BJP's leadership aims to carve a portion of the Muslim vote bank through third front parties like Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM. However, breaking into the Yadav community is seen as a more challenging task. In an effort to sway Yadav voters in Bihar, the BJP is bringing Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to the state for an event.
The BJP believes that Mohan Yadav's leadership in Madhya Pradesh is strategically aligned with the caste-based survey report of Bihar, which identifies Yadavs as constituting 14.26 percent of the state's population, totaling around 1 crore, 90 lakh individuals.
The party has been persistently working to gain traction in the Yadav vote bank, showcasing leaders like Nityanand Rai and Nand Kishore Yadav to convey that the saffron party values Yadav voters. Additionally, the presence of Bhupender Yadav and other leaders is emphasized to signal the party's commitment to the Yadav community.
Nikhil Anand, National General Secretary of the BJP's OBC wing, highlighted the BJP's capability to engage leaders from grassroots levels, as demonstrated by Mohan Yadav's role in Madhya Pradesh. Anand stressed the party's concern for ground-level workers, citing the representation of Yadav leaders at the national level within the BJP.
Mohan Yadav's presence at an event organized by a social organization in Patna on January 18 is seen as an opportunity to send a positive message to the Yadav community. The BJP, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, aims to influence 15 to 35 percent of Yadav voters in Bihar, depending on the constituency.
However, RJD leaders remain confident that the arrival of Mohan Yadav will not impact their core Yadav vote bank. They emphasize the ideological stronghold of Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar and believe that the RJD's vote bank is resilient.
In addition to targeting Yadavs, the BJP is also directing efforts towards Lav-Kush (Kurmi and Kushwaha) voters, who are core supporters of Nitish Kumar and the JD(U). The BJP's 'Operation Lav-Kush' involves appointing prominent Kushwaha leader Samrat Choudhary as the state President of the party and forming alliances with leaders like Upendra Kushwaha to tap into the Kurmi and Kushwaha communities in Bihar.
(With Agency Inputs)
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