The burgeoning population of Purvanchalis (people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh) has altered the poll demography of the national Capital. Punjabis, who used to dominate the public discourse and poll outcome in the past, now stand relegated to play the second fiddle to the domineering Purvanchalis.
The situation has propelled regional parties to select more leaders, representing Purvanchalis. The BJP is likely to field at least two candidates eyeing sizeable Purvanchali votes in Delhi. Sources in the Delhi BJP said the party is focusing on Baniya and Purvanchali communities for the Lok Sabha elections. “Party is in the process of deciding the names of two leaders each from the Purvanchali and Baniya community while one candidate each from Jat, Punjabi and Dalit communities will be fielded,” said sources.
When asked about another Purvanchali leader part from Delhi BJP party president Manoj Tiwari, the party sources hinted at former Congress MP from West Delhi Mahabal Mishra joining the BJP. “We are learning from past instances, in 2012, during civic elections, the Delhi BJP fielded 18 Purvanchali candidates and 12 managed to win, and in 2017 the party gave tickets to 43 Purvanchalis and out of them 34 won. As the Purvanchali population is growing, one leader is not sufficient to represent the community,” said a BJP leader.
If one considers voters’ calculations in Delhi, the significance of Purvanchali voters in Delhi can be measured by the fact that they form nearly 35 to 40 per cent of votes in the national Capital.
As per the Election Commission data, in Delhi, there are at least 20 Assembly constituencies or 80 municipal wards where Purvanchalis constitute 17 to 47 per cent of the vote.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has 13 MLAs from Purvanchal background. Gopal Rai, AAP’ Delhi convener and a Minister in the Delhi Cabinet, hails from eastern Uttar Pradesh while Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia belongs to neighbouring Ghaziabad.
Interestingly, in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections, these voters had shifted their loyalty to AAP. All 13 Purvanchali candidates fielded by AAP won with thumping majority in 2015 Assembly polls. In the 2013 Assembly polls, BJP had won 14 of these 20 seats while AAP bagged six seats.
However, Tiwari did some damage control by bringing Purvanchali voters back to BJP fold in 2017 municipal elections winning all three civic bodies.
Significantly, large population of Purvanchali community forced a Baniya leader to demonstrate his political speech in popular Bhojpuri language. The incumbent Delhi BJP president and Bhojpuri superstar Tiwari remains undisputed leader of the Purvanchalis but Union Minister and a Delhi BJP veterans,Vijay Goel also projected himself as the new mass leader of Baniya and Purvanchali combine.
Exploring political roadmap for Delhi, Goel made his intention very clear in the presence of party president Amit Shah and Tiwari as he addressed party workers in Bhojpuri language - the effective tool to connect to large Puravanchali population.
Addressing BJP booth workers in Delhi on December 23, in the presence of Shah and other senior BJP leader, Goel who comes from Baniya community, sought to strike a chord with the dominant Purvanchali lobby in the party, saying, .”jab tak Vijay bhaiya ba, kauno ke majaal naikhe ki Poorvanchal ke bhai logan ke baal bhi banka kar sake, (nobody in Delhi could dare cause even a little harm to any Purvanchali in Delhi as long as Vijay Bhaiya was there).”
Recalling his years-long agitation to bring lottery to end, Goel, said people living in slums still remembered him for this.”
“Jab hum jhuggi jhopdi me jayeen, aur sunai padela ki Vijay bhaiya dilli me lottery khatm kar dela, uu kabi bhulayi na jayee, hamra man gadgad ho jayee” (It fills me with immense joy and pride when I see people remembering the struggle of Vijay bhaiya to bring lottery to an end in Delhi).
Goel also mentioned about BJP’s Purvanchali leader and said, “jab hamara Manoj Tiwari bhaiya bhi baitha hua, (not to forget, Manoj Tiwari bhaiya is also here in Delhi), Goel said in Bhojpuri.
Feeling connected with Goel, BJP workers too applauded him with loud cheers as BJP president Shah smiled at the surprise sprung by Goel.
