NCP desperate to woo non-Kunbi OBCs

Now, the party he heads is known because of him and he has to prevent a polarisation on caste lines to make any impact on the coming Lok Sabha and assembly elections. The NCP just can not do with Kunbi votes alone.

It’s true that today the NCP can boast of support from a large number of past and present MPs and MLAs and local and regional heavyweights. But a closer look at this impressive list reveals that nearly all these leaders belong to the Kunbi caste. With Ramdas Athavale and the RPI(K) joining up, Pawar can also say that he now enjoys thesupport of a chunk of Dalit votes. The same can be said about adivasi votes owing to the presence of tribal leaders like Madhukar Pichad and three tribal BJP MLAs who shook hands with him recently. A deal with Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Party could ensure some Muslim names as well in the NCP-led front.

But what about the non-Kunbi OBCs? According to an estimate they form a 40-percent chunk of the electorate. Pawar has only Chhagan Bhujbal, a Mali, to point towards when it comes to the non-Kunbi OBCs. Ofcourse, the NCP has managed to bag an odd Teli or Mali leader region-wise. In Vidarbha, for example, former MLC Pandurang Hajare, a Teli, left the BJP to join the NCP.

Pandurang Dhole of the Janata Dal, who also belongs to the Teli community, might either be sponsored by the NCP in Chandur Railway or might join the party if denied a ticket by the JD. In Marathwada, veteran leader and former MP Kesarkaku Kshirsagar and her son, Jaydatta, a member of the dissolved assembly, who belong to the Teli community,have joined the Pawar camp.But the problem for Pawar is that such names are far and few between for him to show the voters and exert any influence.

The pinch will be felt more in certain constituencies like Wardha, Ramtek, Akola and Amravati where the electorate is sharply divided along caste lines.Wardha is where Pawar’s most trusted follower Datta Meghe is hoping to win the Lok Sabha elections. The Kunbi versus Teli political rivalry here is age-old and very keen. One Pandurang Dhole may not be enough to draw the other OBC communities towards Meghe if they view the NCP as a `Kunbi outfit’.

In most other constituencies too the Kunbi versus other OBCs political rivalry exists in varying levels of keenness. The caste factor is bound to weigh heavily on the minds of all political parties because of the absence of an overpowering election issue this time.