The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

    Gorakhpur polls centre on Praveen Nishad voters

    Synopsis

    Nishad Party has considerable influence 350,000-odd Nishad voters of Gorakhpur and the BJP expects to gain from bringing the party into the NDA fold.

    bccccl
    The BJP’s vote share didn’t go down below 50 per cent in the past three elections.
    Gorakhpur: The opposition alliance got a jolt last month when the Nishad Party joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. In 2018, Samajwadi Party candidate Praveen Nishad had defeated the BJP in Gorakhpur in the by-election which was necessitated after chief minister Yogi Adityanath vacated the Lok Sabha seat on becoming CM. Gorakhpur, considered to be Adityanath’s bastion, got its first ever Nishad MP and the Nishad community surged in political consciousness.

    Nishad Party has considerable influence 350,000-odd Nishad voters of Gorakhpur and the BJP expects to gain from bringing the party into the NDA fold. However, ET found out that on the ground Nishads seem to be siding with SP candidate Ram Bhual Nishad instead of the Bhojpuri film actor Ravi Kishan fielded by the BJP. Nishads form around 15% of the total electorate of Gorakhpur and have always been electorally significant. In 1999, when Adityanath contested for the second time, his victory margin came down to around 7,000 votes against the SP candidate Jamuna Nishad. Since then, all parties have been experimenting by giving tickets to Nishads but Adityanath improved his victory margin.

    The BJP’s vote share didn’t go down below 50 per cent in the past three elections. In 2014, both the SP and BSP had fielded Nishad candidates but together they got only 39 per cent votes, well below 52% that Adityanath got. In last year’s byelection, though, BSP supported SP candidate Praveen Nishad and SP’s vote share went up to 49% while the BJP’s came down to 47% . “The community is unhappy over Praveen Nishad’s decision to join the NDA. SP has given ticket to a Nishad and our vote will go to the caste candidate,” said 36-year-old Gyan Prakash Nishad, who runs a battery shop in Khuthan market in Pipraich assembly segment.

    Mahesh Chandra Nishad of Jangal Dumri No. 1said, “I am a supporter of Nishad Party but won’t vote for the BJP. If there is a Nishad candidate, no Nishad would vote for candidate from other caste.” Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad offered a different view. “I joined the NDA because (SP chief) Akhilesh Yadav promised to give me ticket from Maharajganjand and my son Praveen from Gorakhpur. But he didn’t give ticket to me,” said Nishad, who is campaigning extensively in Nishad dominated areas. “BJP has promised to do more for Nishad community. They have government at the Centre and in the state. The community understands that they will benefit going with the BJP.”

    Sunil Sahni, former pradhan of Domingarh in Gorakhpur Sadar assembly seat said, “Nishads in Gorakhpur know that if Ravi Kishan wins they would never get a chance again to make a Nishad MP. There may be some who say that they will vote for BJP but they all will vote for the SP candidate.” In Bharwalia village near Gorakhpur city, where ‘Jai Nishad Raj’ (hail Nishad rule) is the slogan written on every house, Mahendra Nishad said, “How can Sanjay Nishad ask us to vote for the BJP and not for our caste man Ram Bhual Nishad? I am a worker of Nishad Party but will vote for SP.” SP’s Rajya Sabha member Vishambhar Nishad, who is campaigning among Nishads in Gorakhpur, told ET, “The community feels cheated because Sanjay Nishad sold himself to the BJP.”


    (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
    (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2024 News, Budget 2024 Live Coverage, Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

    ...more

    (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
    (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2024 News, Budget 2024 Live Coverage, Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

    ...more
    The Economic Times

    Stories you might be interested in