29 of 85 Chhattisgarh BJP candidates are OBCs, more likely to be added

BJP has fielded 29 OBC candidates out of the 85 named so far in an attempt to attract OBC voters in upcoming elections in Chhattisgarh.

In an attempt to woo Other Backward Class (OBC) voters in upcoming elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded 29 candidates from other backward classes (OBCs) out of the 85 it is named so far. Candidates for five seats are yet to be declared by the party and it is likely that the number of OBC candidates could reach 32.

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Of the 85 seats, 29 are reserved for scheduled tribes (ST) and 10 for scheduled castes ( SC). Interestingly, the BJP has named 30 ST candidates. In the 2018 election, the BJP fielded 28 OBC candidates and the Congress, 26. The Congress won 18 of these seats while the BJP could win only four. This time, the BJP is confident that its OBC candidates will do well.

“We focusing on OBC voters since in the last election, a big chunk of OBC voters voted for the Congress. This time, they are inclined toward us,” said a state BJP leader who asked not to be named.

The Congress has promised a caste enumeration exercise akin to Bihar’s if it returns to power in the state -- a move aimed at attracting OBC votes with the implicit promise of proportionate reservations. In Bihar, the survey showed that 63% of the population was made up of OBCs.

In Chhattisgarh, OBCs account for 43.5% of the state’s population, according to a government affidavit filed in the high courtin May this year in a case related to increase in reservation in jobs and admissions in higher education institutions. The number is based on a OBC survey conducted in the state in 2022, whose findings have not been declared.

In the coming elections, the BJP has given tickets to 16 upper caste candidates-- including seven Thakurs, five Brahmins, three from the Agrawal community and one Jain. In 2018, it fielded 21 upper caste candidates across all 90 seats.

Among OBCs, the highest number of tickets were given to Sahus (10 candidates ) followed by Kurmi s(8), Rajwasr (2), Yadavs ( 2), and Kalaars ( 2) . Sahus constitute about 12% of the state’s population and are most influential OBC group, political workers say. In the 2018 election, the BJP gave 14 tickets to the Sahu candidates.

“The veracity of the politics of Chhattisgarh becoming increasingly OBC-Centric can also be checked if one takes a closer look at the leadership that is coming up in both the main parties in the state. While in the Congress, apart from the stature Baghel has attained, the second line of leaders, the likes of Devendra Yadav and Umesh Patel are gaining grounds within the party. BJP too had to respond to the changing dynamics of the CG’s politics by appointing Arun Sao as the State President of the party. Sao comes from the OBC category. Another BJP leader and Ex-IAS Officer OP Choudhary has also risen quick through the ranks of the BJP. Choudhary also comes from the same category and is a known face across the lengths and breadths of the state,” said Harsh Dubey , a political commentator based in Chhattisgarh.