Having played the minority and backward card abortively, the Congress is now pushing for reclaiming the Brahmin votes. In the last polls Brahmins had gone with the BSP, however, this time round its not clear which way they are voting.

As part of the strategy to attract Brahmin votes, prominent party leaders from the Priest caste have been deployed at the behest of the high command. Senior party leaders including Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and former AICC general secretary and former Union Minister Girija Vyas amongst others are being made to campaign extensively in Uttar Pradesh. While Dikshit is holding public meetings in several constituencies, Girija Vyas has been detailed to hold consultations with the party workers in constituencies where Brahmins are in good numbers.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who is enjoying her third term as the Chief Minister has been roped in by the party to campaign for constituencies including Allahabad, Varanasi, Kannauj and Gorakhpur. She along with her Cabinet colleague Ramakant Goswami, another Brahmin, campaigned for the constituencies that have a large Hindu - Brahmin vote bank. Dikshit campaigned for leaders including Shyam Kishore Shukla and Rita Bahuguna Joshi, the Brahmin candidates from Lucknow and for Dayashankar Mishra ‘Dayalu’ and Rabiya Kalam in Varanasi. The Delhi Chief Minister has visited a total of 14 districts of the State during her campaign for the third phase of polls that was held on February 15.

Former Union Minister Girija Vyas continues with her intensive worker meetings in western UP touring Amroha and Hapur. The Congress had last won the Assembly seat of Amroha in 1972. The local party workers of the Congress claim that about 7,000 Brahmin voters who voted for Samajwadi Party have moved to Congress. Vyas who visited the party office at Amroha on Tuesday met the candidate and the local workers of the area. She also visited the house of a Brahmin Congress leader.

“We have about 7,000 Brahmin voters and Girijaji’s visit to our area is sure to get Brahmin votes to Congress,” said Kapil Sharma, the local Brahmin Congress leader. Vyas during her very short visit to the constituency ensured that she did not disappoint the Brahmin voters and paid a visit to their area besides visiting the party office. While the overall Amroha constituency has an equal share of Hindu and Muslim voters, nearly 15 per cent of the urban voters in the constituency are Brahmins.

“Our chances of winning the seat are very bright. People have been betrayed by the Samajwadi Party and will now vote for Congress. If Rahul Gandhi holds a rally in our area, we will have a comfortable win,” said Haji Mohammad Akil, the Congress contestant

from Amroha, who is going out of his way to woo the Hindus especially the Brahmin voters.