Did Caste Census Promise Backfire Congress As BJP Sweeps Hindi Heartland

The promises made by the Congress seemed immersed as the Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP) cruised to power in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. “Caste Sensus,” coined by the Congress party, has been the buzzword ever since the election was declared in the Hindi heartland. Congress promised that they would hold a caste census to ascertain the exact number of people who belonged to the lower caste in order to avail them of their deserved benefits. The move is aimed at strengthening the weaker sections of society.

However, when the election results came out, it seemed voters ignored the promise made by Congress. The major factors that influenced the voters were the Modi effect, special messages aimed at women, the BJP’s cadre system, anti-incumbency, etc.

Moreover, the BJP succeeded in raising serious corruption scandals, including the betting app scandal in Chhattisgarh, question paper leaks in Rajasthan, mining scams, etc. Moreover, the BJP confronted the election relying on Modi’s persona as a sincere and confident ruler. They haven’t tended to stage chief ministerial candidates in these states.

Moreover, Modi attacked the Congress-led India bloc, criticizing its dynastic politics, appeasement policies, corruption, and failure to oversee the security of the nation. At the same time, Modi tactically presented his achievements as Prime Minister, indicating Make in India and Digital India initiatives, a clean image with no significant corruption scandals, the Swachh Bharat initiative, the insolvency and bankruptcy code (IBC), the Goods and Services Tax (GST), etc.

Modi led almost 100 rallies over the five states, stressing the slogan “Reform, Perform, and Transform. Subsequently, Congress’s census card was immersed in this stream of events. Furthermore, Congress had to confront the questions raised by experts regarding the cast issue. They accused Congress of playing divisive and appeasement politics in light of the election.

“The success of this strategy hinges on the census results and the subsequent changes in reservation policies. It could reshape the political landscape and challenge established power structures [the Kappu-Kamma-Reddy paradigm],” India Today reported, quoting G. Kiran Kumar, president, All India OBC Students Association.