The Janata Dal (U) wants to expand Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s influence on the Kurmi vote bank beyond the State boundaries especially in Uttar Pradesh, though, a section of the Samajwadi Party is resisting the idea. According to sources, the Janata Dal (U) has broached the idea of holding joint rallies in Kurmi- dominated areas in U.P., pitching to help the Samajwadi Party in mobilising this non-Yadav OBC caste base in their favour.
Since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has successfully managed to keep non-Yadav OBC bloc in their camp. During the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly election the Samajwadi Party had gone on overdrive to reach out to the non-Yadav OBC bloc. Party’s State president Naresh Uttam Patel led Kisan Naujawan Patel Yatra targeting the Kurmi vote bank. However, the efforts though did not pay the expected dividends. As per the 1931 census, when the last time a caste count was done, the Kurmi population, which is concentrated in Eastern and Central U.P. amounts to a little over 4.7% of the total population in the State and can impact the outcome in at least 15 Lok Sabha seats.
The JD(U) in turn is hoping that organising such rallies will help carve a bigger role for Nitish Kumar. Though, Nitish Kumar has ad nauseam repeated in his recent trip to Delhi, that while he will work towards Opposition unity, he himself is not interested in leading the joint Opposition.
