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After Haryana Maharashtra’s Shinde Government Targets Dalit and OBC Communities Ahead of Assembly Elections

The Maharashtra Assembly elections are fast approaching, and the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has introduced significant decisions aimed at winning over the support of Dalit and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities. These moves come in the wake of the BJP’s successful strategy in Haryana, where similar tactics helped the party secure a decisive victory by focusing on OBC votes.

On Thursday, the Maharashtra Cabinet, under Shinde’s leadership, approved an ordinance granting constitutional status to the State Scheduled Caste (SC) Commission, a move that will be presented during the next session of the Maharashtra Legislature. Additionally, the Cabinet passed a resolution requesting the central government to raise the income limit for OBCs to qualify under the non-creamy layer category from ₹8 lakh to ₹15 lakh. This decision aims to broaden the pool of OBC beneficiaries eligible for reservation.

These announcements are seen as a calculated effort to secure the votes of Dalit and OBC communities, which together make up a substantial portion of Maharashtra’s electorate. The decision to increase the OBC creamy layer income ceiling is particularly significant, as it aligns with the long-standing demands of NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Sharad Pawar, who has been vocal about this issue for years. With Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raising the demand for caste census and expanding OBC reservation limits, the Shinde-led government appears to have played a strategic card in addressing these concerns.

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The timing of these decisions, just ahead of the state elections, is being interpreted as a deliberate political strategy to replicate the BJP’s successful model in Haryana. In the lead-up to the Haryana Assembly elections, the state government, led by Naib Singh Saini, raised the OBC creamy layer limit from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh, securing the support of the OBC community, which accounts for 35% of Haryana’s population. The BJP in Maharashtra seems to be employing a similar approach, focusing on consolidating OBC votes, which play a crucial role in nearly 100 assembly constituencies across the state.

The BJP’s renewed focus on OBC and Dalit voters comes after the party’s disappointing performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. Despite contesting the elections in alliance with Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, the BJP saw its seat tally drop from 23 to just 9. The opposition INDIA bloc, consisting of the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, managed to secure 30 out of Maharashtra’s 48 seats. Analysts attributed the BJP’s defeat to its inability to effectively manage caste dynamics, something the opposition handled adeptly.

Historically, the BJP has enjoyed strong support from OBC voters, but in recent years, the party shifted its focus toward the dominant Maratha community, causing a disconnect with its OBC base. The setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections have forced the BJP to refocus its efforts on OBC voters, a move evidenced by the recent appointment of three OBC leaders to the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC). The latest decision to increase the OBC creamy layer income limit is part of this larger strategy aimed at regaining the support of OBC voters ahead of the state elections.

Maharashtra’s OBC population is spread across 356 different castes, including Teli, Mali, Lohar, Kurmi, Dhangar, and Banjara, among others. Despite accounting for 40% of the state’s population, the OBC community has historically been marginalized in state politics, with no OBC leader ever serving as Chief Minister. The BJP, which once relied heavily on OBC leaders like Gopinath Munde, Eknath Khadse, and Vinod Tawde, is now seeking to reconnect with the OBC community to strengthen its electoral prospects.

In addition to targeting OBC voters, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition is also focusing on securing the support of Maharashtra’s Dalit community, which constitutes 12% of the population. The decision to grant constitutional status to the SC Commission is expected to resonate with Dalit voters, further solidifying the ruling coalition’s appeal in the upcoming elections.

The BJP’s efforts to win over OBC and Dalit voters in Maharashtra are part of a broader national trend, where caste-based issues are taking center stage in political discourse. With opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi pushing for caste census and OBC reservation expansion, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition is strategically positioning itself to address these demands, while also trying to balance the interests of Maratha, Dalit, and OBC voters.

By adopting the successful electoral formula from Haryana and focusing on securing OBC and Dalit votes through targeted policy measures, the Shinde government hopes to avoid further setbacks and secure a majority in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The coming months will determine whether these strategic decisions will help the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance gain the electoral upper hand in one of India’s most politically significant states.

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