BSP forms teams for reserved constituencies

Kshatriyas,Rajbhar,Chauhan,and Bania. Each of these committees has a four-member unit for every polling booth and each of these units has a Dalit member.

Sources said the decision was taken to manage the lack of political cohesion found among various communities in reserved constituencies. The party had won 62 of the 89 reserved constituencies in 2007,but this time the situation is different because of the Congress gaining ground,sources said.

In June last year,Chief Minister Mayawati had given the responsibility of party affairs in reserved constituencies to PWD Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui,who is also party general secretary. Siddiqui visited all the constituencies and collected the feedback about the political situation. “It was after this that the decision to constitute booth-level teams of every Bhaichara committee was taken,” a party leader said.

The idea is that these units will reach out to various communities and counter the influence of other parties. “Active teams of Bhaichara committees at village level would counter the unhappiness or anger in any caste against the ruling BSP for whatever reason,” said the BSP leader.

He said retaining the reserved constituencies had become all the more important for the BSP in view of the revival of the Congress. “If non-Dalits like Brahmins,Muslims and OBCs move towards the Congress,the Dalit voters could also tilt. The BSP does not want that it should be seen as a party of Dalits,” he said.