BJP's Damage Control Efforts For Kurmi Voters Succeed As MLA Yogesh Verma Satisfied With Action Against Assault Accused

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) jumped into action after the Kurmi community warned of 'ballot outrage' if action is not taken over the assault of the party's Kurmi MLA Yogesh Verma by a Rajput advocate.

Verma was assaulted by local Bar Association President Avdhesh Singh on 9 October. The incident escalated into a caste mobilisation as Kurmi and Rajput communities organised their own Mahapanchayats after it.

The BJP has now expelled advocate Singh, his wife and two others from the party over the assault of the MLA after issuing a show-cause notice earlier.

This comes after Verma met Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly Speaker Satish Mahana in the presence of around three dozen MLAs, including those from the ruling BJP and the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP).

Verma had called the assault on him an 'attack on democracy' and expressed that he is getting support from all quarters. A letter citing 'violation of privileges' was submitted to the Speaker.

Singh is accused of slapping Verma at a bank when the former reached there to file nominations for the bank management committee's elections. Verma was also assaulted by Singh's aide Anil Yadav.

It is alleged that when Singh's wife Pushpa was present at the bank along with her friend Jyoti Shukla, Verma misbehaved with them. After this, Singh and his aide reached the spot and assaulted Verma.

All four of them were issued a show-cause notice by BJP's state general secretary Govind Narayan Shukla on the next day, 10 October and then expelled from the party on 14 October.

MLA Verma has welcomed the party's disciplinary action. He had also met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and later expressed gratitude to the party leadership.

Political observers say that the action is a part of the party's efforts for damage control to stop the brewing discontent among its Other Backward Class (OBC) MLAs, especially ahead of by-polls for 10 assembly seats.

37 MLAs had complained to BJP's UP president Bhupendra Chaudhary over Verma's assault. Verma also met BJP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak before meeting Adityanath.

Since Verma is now satisfied with the party's action, it is expected that the mobilisation of Kurmi voters against the BJP can be prevented, as opposed to the wishes of SP and Congress leaders.

Notably, the 2024 Lok Sabha and the 2022 UP Vidhan Sabha elections witnessed the attrition of Kurmi votes from the BJP. The assault incident could further dent the BJP's prospects in the upcoming by-polls.

This is because four of the 10 assembly seats set for by-polls have substantial Kurmi populations and opposition leaders like SP national president Akhilesh Yadav had already started appealing to the PDA narrative.

Notably, PDA is a formula given by Yadav to expand his M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) vote bank and include Backwards, Dalits and Adivasis (tribals) in it, along with Alpasankhyak (minorities) who have been traditional voters of the SP.

Yadav had alleged, "The real reason for the insult of a ruling party MLA of UP is that before being a ruling party MLA, he is a PDA and on the other hand, is an attacking supremacist."

Verma had also expressed dissatisfaction over the police action against the accused as reportedly, despite his complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was not registered against them.

CM Adityanath has directed to register the FIR and assured Verma of proper action against them. Action will also be taken against police officers for their inaction.