LD RAHUL 2LAST

As a convoy of cars, buses and open trucks rolled into As a convoy of cars, buses and open trucks rolled intothe temple town, people rushed out of their houses to have aglimpse of the Congress leader, who is out on a ‘mahayatra’during which he will cover 39 districts spread over 55 of the80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. Much significance is being attached in political circlesto Rahul’s visit to Hanuman Garhi. Observers see a soft Hindutva agenda in the Ayodhya visitat a time when Congress appears to follow a Brahmin-centriccampaign in Uttar Pradesh prescribed by election strategistPrashant Kishor, who is scripting every move of the Congressscion. After his brief visit to Hanuman Garhi Temple, Rahulreturned to the Circuit House before staring his road show toculminate with a visit the Kichaucha Sharif Dargah, a Muslimshrine in adjoining Ambedkar Nagar, apparently to play abalancing act. Kishor is of the view that Congress must win its originalconstituencies of Muslims, Brahmins and a section of thenon-Dalit Other Backward Castes (OBCs) as it makes a seriousattempt at an impact in UP, which it had last won 27 yearsago. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Congress had secured only twoseats from UP with Sonia and Rahul emerging victorious fromtheir family strongholds of Rae Bareli and Amethirespectively. The party is trying to regain its lost mooringsin the state where it currently has only 29 MLAs in the403-member Assembly. Congress has been in political wilderness in UP since1989 following the emergence of ‘Mandal-Mandir’ politics andrise of BSP which took away its crucial Dalit vote base.Mayawati’s party had also lured a large chunk of Brahmin votesin the past when candidates of the community were giventickets by her to contest elections. The Brahmin community plays a significant role in polloutcome in central and eastern UP as it is the dominant castethere. Once a traditional vote bank of the Congress, Brahminsin the state shifted allegiance to BJP in the aftermath of theemergence of ‘Mandal-Mandir’ politics. PTI SMIDV