Dalit dynamics dominate Agra’s politics

AGRA: In the metropolis of Taj Mahal, politics intertwines with history and tourism. While the lengthy-lasting mausoleum symbolises the metropolis’s past glory, its

political panorama

bears the label of

Dalit have an effect on

— Agra has earned the moniker of ‘Dalit capital of northern India’ — owing to its monumental Scheduled Caste (SC) population, constituting 25% of its demographics.

The political reins of this location were firmly held by BJP since 2009, with the seat for the time being held by aged Union minister Satya Friend Singh Baghel. The celebration has fielded him some other time. This stronghold reflects the intricate dynamics of Dalit politics in the placement.
The ‘Anusoochit Jaati Mahasammelan’, hosted by BJP on March 7, underscores Dalit politics’ pivotal role in shaping Agra’s political discourse. The convergence of Samajwadi Derive collectively president Akhilesh Yadav and Congress’s Rahul Gandhi in Agra amplifies the significance of wooing Dalit voters. Their joint rally through the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ marked a strategic transfer to garner make stronger by addressing Dalit welfare concerns.
As share of the seat-sharing system in INDIA, SP has fielded shoe baron Suresh Chandra Kardam, a aged BSP employee. Kardam, 63, who comes from the Jatav community, had earlier contested the mayoral nomination for BSP from Agra in 2000 and bagged the 2d speak. Analysts demand him to love into BSP’s used vote financial institution.

Despite being designated as an SC seat, the Mayawati-led BSP has struggled to clinch victory right here for the reason that celebration’s inception in 1984. Then some other time, BSP naming Pooja Amrohi as its candidate from Agra reflects a renewed effort to advise the brand new political panorama. Pooja has a political lineage — she is the daughter of infamous Congress functionary Satya Behan, a aged Rajya Sabha member from UP.
Pooja used to be born in Etah and graduated in humanities from Girl Shri Ram College in Delhi College. She had been actively engaged in politics with her mother. Her husband is a businessman, however she items herself as having done advocacy work for varied nongovernmental organisations.

Agra’s significance extends beyond electoral victories. The metropolis’s dominance in the footwear market, offering monumental employment to Dalits — Jatavs specifically — underscores the commercial undercurrents carving out political preferences. This has translated into electoral outcomes, with past meeting polls reflecting the shifting sands. In 2007, when Mayawati turned CM, BSP won six of nine meeting seats in Agra. In 2012, when she didn’t, it restful won six of nine. Then, in 2017, BJP swept all nine seats, with BSP coming 2d in seven. It used to be repeated in the 2022 meeting elections. The legacy of Agra as a bastion of Dalit history is deeply ingrained, with B R Ambedkar’s final speech in 1956 serving as a poignant reminder. Ambedkar, addressing a gathering at the Chakki Paat Jatav Basti, had expressed pain at educated Dalits for their “self-interest”. His phrases resonate even today.
BJP’s strategy of amalgamating Hindutva with native caste equations has yielded dividends. Conversely, BSP’s advise lies in bridging the gap between rhetoric and groundlevel mobilisation. The want for a cohesive vision and tangible grassroots engagement remains paramount in reshaping political fortunes.