In a bid to placate the miffed Jat community over a year-long farmers’ protest, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday met leaders and influencers of the community from western Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. Most of the leaders are affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to reports, the meeting took place at BJP MP Parvesh Verma’s residence in New Delhi. It was attended by Union Minister and Muzaffarnagar strongman Sanjeev Balyan, UP minister Bhupendra Chaudhary and other senior leaders of the Jat community from UP west.
The meeting comes barely two weeks ahead of the first phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, which begins from the western part of the state.
It should be noted that the BJP received considerable support from the Jat community in the 2014, 2019 Lok Sabha elections and Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections of 2017.
However, the alliance of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) claims that Jats, who are mainly farmers, would not go with the BJP after the year-long protest over three farm laws.
It also believes that the sharp division between Jats and Muslims after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots that benefitted from the BJP would be bridged.
Elections for the 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases.
The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
