Chhattisgarh polls: BJP fields 29 OBC candidates, more likely to be added

The Congress has promised a caste enumeration exercise similar to Bihar's if it returns to power in Chhattisgarh, a move aimed at wooing OBC voters

In a bid to woo backward-class voters in the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded 29 candidates from other backward classes (OBCs) out of the 85 it has named so far . 

Candidates for five seats are yet to be declared by the party and the number of OBC candidates could likely reach 32.

Of the 85 seats, 29 are reserved for scheduled tribes (ST) and 10 for scheduled castes ( SC). Interestingly, the BJP has named 30 ST candidates. In the 2018 election, the BJP fielded 28 OBC candidates and the Congress, 26. The Congress won 18 of these seats, while the BJP could win only four. This time, the BJP is certain that its OBC candidates will do well.

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“We focusing on OBC voters since in the last election, a big chunk of OBC voters voted for the Congress. This time, they are inclined toward us,” a state BJP leader was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times (HT).

The Congress has promised a caste enumeration exercise similar to Bihar’s if it returns to power in the state, a move aimed at wooing OBC voters with the implicit promise of proportionate reservations. 

The census found that OBCs made up 63 per cent of the population in Bihar.

In Chhattisgarh, OBCs account for 43.5 per cent of the state’s population, according to a government affidavit filed in the high courtin May this year in a case related to an increase in reservation in jobs and admissions in higher education institutions. The figure is based on an OBC survey conducted in the state in 2022, whose findings have not been declared.

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The BJP has nominated 16 upper-caste candidates for the upcoming elections, including seven Thakurs, five Brahmins, three from the Agrawal community and one Jain. 

In 2018, the saffron party fielded 21 upper-caste candidates across all 90 seats.

Among OBCs, the highest number of tickets were given to Sahus (10 candidates) followed by Kurmis (8), Rajwasr (2), Yadavs (2), and Kalaars (2).