BJP Nishad ally struggles in Sant Kabir Nagar, but for Modi-Yogi name

While the different castes and groups in this constituency, named after sage Kabir, seem to be divided on most issues, the anger against sitting MP Praveen, contesting on the BJP ticket, for “abandoning” voters after his 2019 win, runs across.

Plus, on the other side is another Nishad, the INDIA bloc’s Lakshmikant Pappu Nishad, who is better known to people in the area, having been a local MLA and a minister in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s 2003-2007 government.

Even in the midst of the 2019 BJP wave Lok Sabha election, the party didn’t have it easy in Sant Kabir Nagar. Praveen got 43.97% of the votes, against the 40.61% share of the joint SP-BSP candidate, Bhishm Shankar Tiwari. In 2014, when the BJP fielded Sharad Tripathi, it had finished far ahead of its rivals, but the BSP and SP had contested separately at the time.

Sant Kabir Nagar has a substantial share of OBCs, Dalits, Muslims, Brahmins and Thakurs. In 2019, the SP-BSP alliance candidate is believed to have got most of the Yadav, Dalit and Muslim votes, apart from that of Brahmins, as its candidate – the son of eastern UP veteran mafia Hari Shankar Tiwari – was a Brahmin.

BJP leaders say that what helped them both in 2014 and 2019 was the consolidation of OBCs, including Nishads and Maurya Kurmis, behind them, apart from upper caste Brahmins, Thakurs and Bhumihars.

This time, the Nishad vote will get divided, while the INDIA bloc’s Pappu Nishad, contesting on the SP ticket, can also be expected to get the party’s traditional Muslim-Yadav vote. A former MLA from the Menhdawal seat, Pappu Nishad also claims Dalit support. The BSP’s Nadeem Ashraf is hardly a part of the conversation, even in Muslim-dominated areas.

What might also influence the result is that Bhishm Tiwari, who gave a tough fight to the BJP in 2014 and 2019 in Sant Kabir Nagar, and has earlier won the seat, is contesting from neighbouring Domariyaganj as an INDIA bloc candidate on the SP ticket.

Pappu Nishad said there is “clear anti-incumbency” against Praveen Nishad. “He was not available in the constituency the last five years. The Nishad community will not vote for him. I belong to this place and have served the people earlier as well.”

Hoping to kick life into his son’s campaign, Sanjay Nishad has been camping in Sant Kabir Nagar for over a month now and visiting villages. He tells The Indian Express that Praveen has been busy as “he was a member of committees in Parliament for Energy and Fisheries”, plus involved in “various projects”. “This was the reason he couldn’t give enough time in the constituency. We are explaining this to the people here, and they are now convinced.”

Pappu Nishad won’t be able to split the Nishad vote, Sanjay adds, claiming he was “exposed” when he was a minister.

But apart from anger over the father and son both “disappearing” after the 2019 results, people are also angry over the NISHAD Party fielding Anil Tripathi from the Menhdawal Assembly seat in 2022, instead of a community member. Tripathi is now the Menhdawal MLA.

Asked how important was the caste of the candidate, Raj Kumar Nishad, a young shopkeeper in Mehdawal area, says that while it does matter, “people will vote wisely and for a candidate who is available to us when required”. However, he won’t disclose whether it means supporting Praveen or Pappu.

Vishal Gupta, a wholesale brass utensils businessman in Bakhira market, says that the first time they saw Praveen after 2019 was when he came to campaign a few days ago. “He or his representative is not available to resolve our issues,” he says, adding that they might still support the BJP though due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

In fact, the Modi-Yogi factor remains the strongest asset for Praveen. Apart from BJP workers, even the father-son duo have been appealing for votes in their name. “The names of Modi ji and Yogi ji are directly connected to development and that is helping us,” says Sanjay Nishad.