CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News /Agencies/ Bhopal: Bhumihar dominance in Bihar, discussion over Brahmin candidates intensifies in UP
Lucknow/Patna. After the results of the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Legislative Council elections, political discussion over caste equations has intensified. In Bihar, candidates from the Bhumihar community won five of the eight seats, while in Uttar Pradesh, three of the BJP’s six winning candidates are said to be from the Brahmin community. These results have drawn attention to the social background of candidates in both states and the electoral strategies of political parties. However, it would not be correct to draw conclusions about the voting behaviour of an entire community solely on the basis of candidates’ caste.
In Bihar, Bhumihar candidates won five seats. In the results for a total of eight Bihar Legislative Council seats – four graduate and four teachers’ constituencies – five candidates from the Bhumihar community emerged victorious. They include RJD’s Dr Sanjeev Kumar from the Patna teachers’ seat, Jan Suraaj’s Dr Suresh Prasad Rai from the Darbhanga teachers’ seat, BJP’s Dr Narendra Kumar Singh from the Tirhut teachers’ seat, JD(U)’s Neeraj Kumar from the Patna graduate seat, and BJP’s Sarvesh Kumar from the Darbhanga graduate seat.
Other winners include BJP’s N.K. Yadav from the Kosi graduate seat, Independent Rahul Raj from the Saran teachers’ seat, and Independent Banshidhar Brajwasi from the Tirhut graduate seat. Thus, the results saw Bhumihar candidates from different political parties succeed.
In Uttar Pradesh, three Brahmin candidates of the BJP won. The contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party for 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats ended with a 6-5 margin. Among the BJP’s six winning candidates, three are said to be from the Brahmin community. They include Umesh Dwivedi from the Lucknow teachers’ seat, Shrichand Sharma from the Meerut teachers’ seat, and Dhruv Kumar Tripathi from the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teachers’ seat.
The social background of the Samajwadi Party candidates also remained a subject of discussion. Of the party’s five candidates, two are said to be from the Yadav community, while the others are said to be from the Vaishya, Kayastha and Kurmi communities. In the election results, the SP secured five seats, while the BJP won six.
Caste equations and electoral strategy are both reflected in the results from the two states, showing that the social background of candidates remains an important part of political discussion in Legislative Council elections. In Bihar, the success of Bhumihar candidates was seen across different parties, while in Uttar Pradesh, Brahmin representation among the BJP’s winning candidates came prominently to the fore.
However, the voter base in graduate and teachers’ constituencies of the Legislative Council is different from that of general Assembly elections. Therefore, these results cannot be directly treated as a reflection of caste-based public opinion across the entire state. A candidate’s individual reach, organisation, local issues and contact with voters can also influence the results. Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, these results have certainly intensified debate over political parties’ social representation and candidate-selection strategy.
Hashtags: #UttarPradeshState #Bhopal #Bihar #Bhumihar #UP #Brahmin #Dominance #Candidates #Discussion #BhumiharDominanceInBihar
