Why a BJP ally is talking ‘constitutional rights’ in UP, holding a march

The yatra assumes significance because, one, constitutional rights and the fight to save them have been the INDIA alliance’s agenda since the Lok Sabha elections and second, the move comes at a time when the BJP is considering developing its own leadership in the Nishad community of boatmen and fishermen rather than depending on Sanjay Nishad.

Though the NISHAD Party largely has its presence in central and eastern UP in more than 150 constituencies, in divisions such as Gorakhpur, Basti, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Prayagraj, and Varanasi, with this yatra it is trying to make inroads into the community in the west as well. Sources in the party said the BJP’s decision to not give it the ticket from Manjhwa, which it had won in 2022, had left the party uneasy. This was why the party decided to embark on the yatra and strengthen its ground presence before the Assembly elections which are scheduled for 2027.

The NISHAD Party had also sought Katehri, which has a sizable population of NISHAD voters. But the BJP decided to field Dharmaraj Nishad, who was earlier with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BJP won both Katehri and Manjhwa. The party has not yet reacted to Nishad’s decision to embark on the yatra as it looks for an alternative from within its ranks.

At the rally in Ghaziabad, Sanjay Nishad challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, BSP president Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to a debate on caste census. A party leader who was at the event said the idea was to build a cross-caste coalition. Leaders from the Kashyap and Gujjar communities, which have a significant presence in West UP, were also present at the rally, he said. In a signal to Gujjars, Sanjay Nishad invoked Gujjar king Maharaja Mihir Bhoj and said the Gujjar movement for quota in Rajasthan had inspired a similar movement he had launched for the rights of his community.