BJP LOOKS TOWARDS KUSHWAHAS IN BIHAR

'This time, with the formidable caste equation against it, the BJP is not too confident about retaining the Sasaram seat'.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

The Kushwahas, a caste segment in Bihar that claims to impact electoral results in 15 Lok Sabha seats and around 70 Assembly seats, are being aggressively wooed by the BJP, which theoretically is at a disadvantage following the coming together of seven political parties to form the grand alliance coalition.

On Sunday, Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to Bihar, his fourth in the last six months, was supposed to address a strong crowd of at least 1 lakh people at the Railway ground, Sasaram, in South-West Bihar. However, the said event was cancelled at the last moment on Saturday after the state administration imposed Section 144 in wake of the communal tension that has affected the town on Thursday and Friday in the wake of the Ram Navmi celebrations.

Shah was the chief guest in the "Samarat Ashok Jayanati Samaroh", an annual event that has been traditionally celebrated by the Bihar BJP at Patna on the occasion of the birth of King Ashoka, who was born in 304 BC, approximately 2250 years ago. Many historians claim that Kushwahas of Bihar are the descendants of Ashoka. Ashoka, who was the grandson of Maurya dynasty founder Chandragupta Maurya, was born in a family of shepherds. The capital of the Maurya dynasty was Patliputra, which is today's Patna. However, this time the local BJP unit decided to move the celebrations to Sasaram.

The reason behind BJP moving this event to Sasaram from Patna, too, has an interesting angle to it.