Ahead of the general elections as well as the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, the Backward Classes in the State have been pushed centre stage.
Both the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have been competing in their efforts to remind the Backward Classes that they gave the community due recognition. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that nearly 66% of Cabinet berths have been given to those belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and minorities. The national president of the TDP, N. Chandrababu Naidu, has said that the TDP has been a “factory and a university” that nurtured leadership from the Backward Classes. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also joined the bandwagon and has blamed the regional parties for not allocating enough seats to the Backward Classes in the Assembly and in Parliament. The Backward Classes are important for the 2024 elections as they constitute 52% of the population in the State. About 3 crore people fall under the category of Backward Classes. As many as 139 castes are enlisted under this category. Groups such as the Yadavas, Goudas, Agnikula Kshatriyas, and Nayi Brahmins feel that they don’t have adequate representation in the legislature.
When N.T. Rama Rao founded the TDP in 1982, he sensed that the Backward Classes were unhappy and made it a priority to allocate seats to the community. His formula worked and the Backward Classes sailed with the TDP for many decades. On the other hand, the Kapus, who have had a traditional rivalry with the Kamma community to which N.T. Rama Rao belonged, remained unattached to the party.
