Multiple splits in Nishad votes in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, Aug 15 The Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, due early next year, are expected to witness a multiple split in the Nishad votes.

Nishad politics in the state has been warming up and parties like Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) from Bihar are preparing for an electoral debut in Uttar Pradesh.

The major political issue for these Nishad outfits is the demand for reservation in the Scheduled Caste category for the Nishad community and its sub-castes.

The Nishad Party, led by Sanjay Nishad, is the biggest political outfit among Nishads in the state.

However, Sanjay Nishad, whose son Pravin Nishad is a BJP MP, is now being seen as a political dealer.

He has reportedly been seeking a ministerial berth for his son and a promise of him being made deputy chief minister in the next BJP government.

His blow-hot-blow-cold posture towards the BJP has made him lose credibility a fact that the other outfits have been quick to cash on.

The Vikassheel Insaan Party, led by Mukesh Sahani who calls himself 'Son of Mallah', has set up offices in various UP districts.

Sahani is relying mainly on the legend of late former bandit queen-turned-MP Phoolan Devi to consolidate Nishad votes in his favour.

Sahani is preparing to send 50,000 statues of Phoolan Devi to Nishad populated districts in Uttar Pradesh before the elections. The idea is to promote VIP as a custodian of Nishad interests.

The Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) is also making its electoral debut in UP.

HAM general secretary Santosh Kumar Suman, who recently held a meeting in Lucknow, said that his party will work "as the voice of the poor in Uttar Pradesh and connect the backward in the mainstream."

Incidentally, both VIP and HAM are part of the NDA in Bihar.

Another new outfit that is eyeing the Nishad votes is Jalvanshi Nishad Dal, led by Gyanendra Nishad. The Jalvanshi Nishad Dal has opened its headquarters in Gorakhpur.

"We have an 18 per cent population among the OBCs and have been fighting to be included in the Scheduled Castes category. If our leaders had played their political cards well, the Nishads would have had their own government in UP by now," he said.

Meanwhile, Kunwar Singh Nishad, a former BJP leader, has formed his own outfit, Nishad Kashyap Union, and led a Nishad Aarakshan Yatra across several districts. He is also eyeing the Nishad pie in the upcoming elections.

The Samajwadi Party (SP), with an eye on Nishad votes, recently inducted Kajal Nishad, a well-known Bhojpuri star.

Kajal Nishad, according to sources, will campaign in the Assembly elections for the SP and highlight the fact that it was party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav who gave a new lease of life to Phoolan Devi by bringing her into politics.

The Congress has already organised 'Nishad yatras' but the effort did not have much impact.

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