Will Congress weigh in with Sheila to swing UP’s Brahmin votes?

A scheduled meeting of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit with Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday, and the presence of Jitin Prasada on the dais with party in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad in Lucknow, brought into sharp focus the Grand Old Party’s tenuous efforts to woo Brahmins in the poll-bound State. The development also sparked speculation about Dikshit’s anointment as the Congress’s chief ministerial candidate in UP.

The Congress is trying to regain lost ground in UP, where it currently has just 30 MLAs in the 403-member Assembly. The party could win only two seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, which are represented by Rahul and Sonia Gandhi respectively.

The Brahmin community plays a significant role in the election outcome in central and eastern UP as it is the dominant caste in these areas.

The community comprises between 12-13 per cent of the electorate in Uttar Pradesh, and used to be counted among the traditional voters of the Congress, along with Dalits and Muslims. The equations have completely altered now, with the Congress losing the Brahmins mostly to the BJP, Muslims to the Samajwadi Party and Dalits to Mayawati.

Pushed against a wall in a tough election where the BJP has already launched a high-profile campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Allahabad, the Congress is looking to create a buzz.

Azad admitted as much while addressing the media after a meeting he held with party office-bearers in Lucknow on Thursday.

“This is the toughest(-ever) battle for us,” Azad told the media while he also talked about the party workers’ hope that Priyanka Gandhi will campaign outside the Gandhi family’s bastion of Amethi, Rae Bareli and Sultanpur.

Former Congress MP and the son of the party’s Brahmin stalwart Jitendra Prasada, Jitin was seated next to Azad during the press briefing.

Significantly, State Congress president Nirmal Khatri did not attend the meeting, ostensibly on account of being ill.

However, sources in the Congress pointed out that Khatri’s illness is linked to reports about the party considering appointing Jitin Prasada as the party’s next State unit chief.

The Congress’ election strategist Prashant Kishor is believed to have recommended that Dikshit should play a major role in the party’s poll campaign in the State as she is a prominent Brahmin face, and could help the Congress regain support of the electorally sizeable and significant community, whose support determines the poll outcome in several seats.

Dikshit is the daughter-in-law of prominent Congress leader from UP Uma Shankar Dikshit, who served as Union Minister and Governor for a long time.

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