In the fight or not, for Jatavs in UP, BSP remains the first choice

“Hamare samaj ka saara vote haathi ko hi jayega, chahe woh ladai mein ho ya nahin (The vote of my community will go to the BSP, whether it is in the fight or not),” says first-time voter Alok Jaiswar, who belongs to the Jatav community, in Guara Bhatan village under the Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency.

The BSP and Mayawati may be seen as an also-ran in the Lok Sabha elections, with the party’s vote share and seats on the decline. However, among her Jatav community, across these parts in eastern Uttar Pradesh that vote in the sixth phase on May 25, Mayawati hasn’t lost her hold.

One of the main campaign themes of allies Congress and Samajwadi Party, directed essentially at Dalits and OBCs, is that in its third term in power, the Narendra Modi government would “change the Constitution” and “end reservations”. With Mayawati refusing to join the INDIA bloc, they also accuse the BSP of being a B-team of the BJP.

While Jaiswar has heard of these claims, that is not enough to shake his support for the BSP. The 18-year-old, who scored 88% marks in the UP Board Class 12 exams, says there is “little likelihood” of the BJP changing the Constitution or “meddling with reservations”. However, he adds: “One can’t be sure. If they do so, there will be a Manipur-like situation across the country.”

He is more unhappy with the BJP government for “not providing us jobs and not controlling price rise”. “My family has been voting for the BSP for years and I will too.”

Ram Ratan, 38, a private school teacher and father of three from the same village, who earns Rs 5,000 per month, also is apprehensive about reservations. “Narendra Modi said in a speech that he doesn’t like reservations,” Ratan claims. “Who knows what they will do?”

At the same time,