Pichda Atipichda Adhikar Sammelan: BSP's Strategic Bid to Garner OBC Support in Bihar

Patna— The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is making efforts to attract Other Backward Castes (OBCs) ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Bihar. The party's goal is to enhance and diversify its vote share in the state.

Two days after BSP leader Mayawati urged party workers to strengthen the grassroots level, the party organized a "Pichda Atipichda Adhikar Sammelan" at Bapu Sabhagar in Patna, the capital of Bihar, on the occasion of BP Mandal's birth anniversary. This initiative aims to mobilize backward castes in the state. The event was attended by workers from across the state and addressed by Akash Anand, the National Coordinator of the BSP, and Ramji Gautam, the party's Rajya Sabha MP.

Akash, addressing the party workers, criticized the Bihar government for being anti-OBC, anti-Dalit, and anti-sarvajan (inclusive). He pointed out that the backward community in the state has not progressed over the past 33 years. He criticized the government for failing to provide security, education, and employment opportunities for OBC individuals. He contrasted this with the BSP's achievements in Uttar Pradesh, where the party provided employment to teachers, policemen, and sanitation workers to prevent youth from leaving the state for opportunities.

Akash Anand, also leading a Rath Yatra (chariot journey), is currently touring Rajasthan and will conclude the journey on August 28th in Jaipur.

The release of Anand Mohan could act as a stepping stone for the BSP. The ruling alliance of RJD-JDU and other parties, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, faced criticism from the BSP for amending the jail manual to facilitate the release of Anand Mohan, a former criminal turned politician convicted for the 1994 murder of a Dalit bureaucrat. The state BSP unit organized a significant protest outside the Raj Bhawan against this. The party aims to secure a substantial portion of the Dalit votes, constituting 17% of the population, and the OBC votes, which account for about 36% of the state's population.

In the 2020 Assembly elections, the BSP managed to secure 2 seats in Bihar. Although the party won 5 seats in 2000, it hasn't been able to match that tally in the state since then. In a positive development for the party, numerous members of the Azad Samaj Party left their party to join the BSP in Bihar, including their state president Amar Azad Paswan, who now serves as the state general secretary of the BSP.