NEW DELHI: Buoyed by the recent growth in votes from the backward castes of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is said to have chalked out a pan-India strategy to woo the “prominent, influential and young new faces” from these sections in every state in the run up to the next general elections.
Plans are afoot to highlight the benefits of welfare schemes launched for these segments of OBCs by the union as well as BJP states in order to engage them in the party affairs at the local level. The BJP’s think tank believes that the schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna, free ration, the Ujjawala Yojna and others have hugely benefited the backward castes of Muslim.
A party insider said that the Uttar Pradesh poll results made the party confident that the voters from backward castes of the Muslim community had reposed trust in the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and the welfare schemes started by the BJP governments.
“We will now bring prominent and influential people and young faces of backward Muslim to the forefront in the party assigning them responsibility at local level and in governance also,” said a senior BJP leader.
Citing some recent moves in promoting Muslim leaders within the party in states like Uttar Pradesh and others, the BJP source said that Danish Azad Ansari, who belongs to backward caste of Muslim was made a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government as part of the party’s new strategy.
Fact-finding report
The saffron party believes that it has got more than 5.5% of votes from backward Muslims in the UP Assembly elections.