With its approximate strength of 40 lakh, Poorvanchali voters hold the key in nearly two dozen Assembly constituencies in the national Capital. large-scale migration to the city has also changed the voters’ composition in these segments; majority of which fall in the trans-Yamuna areas.

Change in composition of voters has also forced political parties to rework their poll strategy and it is no wonder that both the major players — the ruling Congress and the BJP — have been eyeing the community as their vote bank. Poorvanchalis, migrants from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, constitute nearly one-third of the total voters in the Capital. They also form nearly 35 per cent of Delhi’s population.

The Poorvanchalis who were earlier dominant in East and North East Delhi now form a major vote bank in West and South West Delhi that are dominated by Punjabi, Jats and Khatris. The constituencies with strong presence of Poorvanchalis include Burari, Kirari, Sangam Vihar, Patparganj, Vikaspuri, Uttam Nagar, Ghonda, Badli, Matiala, Dwarka, Palam, Badarpur, laxmi Nagar, Seemapuri, Karawal Nagar, Rithala, Rajender Nagar, Nangloi, Mangolpuri and Shahdara, among others. Uttam Nagar, of all 70 constituencies, has the maximum 40 per cent migrant voters.

“Poorvanchalis form a whopping 35 per cent of Delhi’s population. While the percentage in the North East Delhi constituency is highest with nearly 45 per cent, in the other six constituencies it varies between 30 per cent to 35 per cent. Uttam Nagar in West Delhi with close to 40 per cent has their highest concentration while more than a dozen other seats have more than 30 per cent Poorvanchali voters,” said a BJP leader, adding the party was eyeing the community to increase its vote share in the upcoming polls.

In order to woo Poorvanchali voters, both the BJP and the Congress have also been projecting its leaders hailing from the States of UP and Bihar.

While Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel included nearly half a dozen Poorvanchali leaders in his team of officebearers, the party also inducted noted Bhojpuri singer Manoj Tiwari into its fold. On the other hand, Congress party also appointed Shakeel Ahmad, a leader from Bihar, as the election in-charge for Delhi.

Earlier, Jats, Punjabi, Khatris and the Brahmins dominated politics in Delhi for many decades. “With large-scale migration from UP and Bihar, the voters’ composition has changed in these constituencies. Also, several parties have been considering giving fair representation to them to woo voters,” said Abhay Verma, Delhi BJP vice-president and a leader from Poorvanchal. It is noteworthy that Mahabal Mishra, a Poorvanchali, had won the lok Sabha elections from West Delhi constituency in 2009. Further, in 2012 Municipal polls, the BJP had fielded 18 candidates from Poorvanchal, out of which 12 won the elections. The Congress, on the other hand, gave four tickets to the community and managed to grab just one seat. The BJP’s Annapurna Mishra, a Poorvanchali, also went on to become the first Mayor of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).

In 2008, the BJP had fielded only two Poorvanchali candidates of the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi. later, an internal assessment found faulty distribution of tickets to be one of the main reasons for the party’s defeat. However, an internal survey was conducted by the BJP, which found that 20-25 Assembly seats have up to 25-30 per cent Poorvanchali voters.