The ruling BJP has begun projecting party national vice-president Baby Rani Maurya, a former Uttarakhand governor and Agra mayor, as its Dalit face in the state ahead of the assembly elections in an attempt to reach out to Dalit voters, particularly those from the Jatav community, which makes up a significant portion of BSP chief Mayawati’s vote base. The BJP has been planning celebrations to honor her, with members from Scheduled Caste communities expected to attend. The party has also emphasized Maurya’s Dalit status at these events by adding “Jatav” to her name on hoardings and formal correspondence.
After Maurya’s promotion as party vice-president late last month, efforts to chip away at the BSP’s support base — the Jatavs having historically been followers of Mayawati, one of their own – began to gather up steam. The BJP’s Scheduled Caste Morcha’s Awadh area hosted an event in Lucknow on October 13 to honor Maurya, visiting the state capital for the first time since her elevation. Maurya remarked in her speech that individuals from SC groups are treated with tremendous respect in the BJP. She used herself as an example. The BJP elevated an ordinary party worker like her to the mayor, governor, and now national vice-president.
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She urged everyone in attendance to help the BJP achieve its goal of 350 seats in the 2022 elections. On Tuesday, a similar ceremony will be held on the Chaudhary Charan Singh University campus in Meerut by the Scheduled Caste Morcha’s Paschim region section. According to a press release from the local unit, the initiative is being organized to mobilize SC communities. The event will be attended by BJP state president Swatantradeo Singh, Rajya Sabha member Kanta Kardam, and other top officials, and Maurya will also engage with booth presidents.
According to BJP SC Morcha state president Ram Chandra Kanaujia, Maurya has already been honored in Awadh, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur. Following Meerut, similar events will be conducted on October 22 in Varanasi (Kashi area) and October 25 in Agra (Braj region). Such programs with Maurya, he added, will be held up to the district level.
According to Kanaujia, the party’s national vice-president is from the SC community, although her Maurya surname is sometimes confused with an OBC. He stated, referring to the hoardings, “She herself opted to write Jatav with her name.” “Our towering leader is Baby Rani Maurya. SC communities are turning to the BJP for optimism in the run-up to the 2022 elections, and we need a leader for them. She is a Jatav community senior leader.”
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“Caste politics may be found anywhere. We must also inform our caste about the importance of assisting our community. People like to communicate with leaders from their own [caste]. “This is to connect with the community,” she added of adding “Jatav” to her name. Maurya was appointed governor of Uttarakhand in August 2018 and resigned last month after three years in service. The BJP named her national vice-president a few days later. She was an ardent BJP member and served as mayor of Agra from 1995 to 2000 before becoming governor. She ran for the assembly from Etmadpur in the Agra district in 2007 but lost.
