UP's holiday politics: This time it's Maharana Pratap's anniv

In an apparent move to woo "Thakur" (Rajput) community, Uttar Pradesh government is contemplating announcing a holiday on Maharana Pratap's birth anniversary on May 9.
The decision has all the potential to give the opposition fresh fodder to target ruling SP for indulging in what they allege is blatant "holiday politics".
Thakurs account for over eight per cent voters and have much influence in over 20 out of 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. The proposed move by Samajwadi government is seen in the political circles in the context of elections for the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly due in early 2017.

If the Akhilesh Yadav government goes ahead with its decision to declare holiday on Maharana Pratap birth anniversary on May 9, the number of official holidays in Uttar Pradesh will reach 38.
"With 38 public holidays a year, there has been a 50 per cent increase in the state government's list of public holidays in the past 10 years," noted a senior official.
The move to have a holiday on May 9 was initiated by Thakur legislators in SP who, during the recent celebration of former Prime Minsiter Chandrashekar's birth anniversary on April 17, had put forth this demand before party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"SP legislators want the government to declare holiday on Mahrana Pratap birth anniversary. I have apprised the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of their views. We expect that a decision in this regard will be taken soon," SP state general Secretary and cabinet minister Arvind Singh Gope told PTI.

Besides Gope, SP has a battery of Thakur leaders including Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya (Independent MLA), Abhay Singh, Rajkishore Singh, Neeraj Shekar and Yashwant Singh.
The Samajwadi Party government had earlier declared a holiday on December 6, the death anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, which was seen as an attempt appease Dalits.

The Akhilesh Yadav government had also declared holiday on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar (April 17), Maharishi Kashyap and Maharshi Nishadraj Jayanti (April 5), and Hazrat Ajmeri Garib Nawaj Urs (April 26) besides others.