BJP reaching out to backward communities in Sisamau

As it prepares for the upcoming by-election to the Sisamau assembly constituency, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has turned its focus on organising community-specific meetings there with the aim to reach out to voters from across castes.

The BJP’s OBC front on Tuesday intensified its efforts to connect with backward caste voters, a demographic that has seen significant growth in recent years. In 2014, there were approximately 12,000 voters from backward communities in Sisamau, a figure that has now risen to around 22,000.

Among the several backward communities in the area, the Sahu and Halwai communities constitute the largest groups. During the meetings, it was emphasised that voters from these communities could play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the by-election.

Rakesh Rathore, the minister of state for urban development, said backward castes had transitioned from being merely identified as ‘backward’ to becoming part of the mainstream.

“We have elevated backward classes to the forefront,” state BJP vice president Jai Prakash Kushwaha, expressing confidence that the OBC front would end a 25-year cycle of underrepresentation in this election. The meetings were attended by numerous party leaders.