Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are not seen by BJP’s rivals as its most avid supporters but it is these disadvantaged communities which played a key role in its landslide victories in West Bengal and Assam, as it has reaped even a bigger harvest in reserved seats in the two states than its overall impressive strike rate.In Bengal, BJP bagged all 16 seats reserved for STs, primarily in north Bengal and Junglemahal, the two regions that gave the party its first foothold in the state and have now become its citadel.In 68 constituencies reserved for SCs, BJP won 51, exactly 75%, reducing TMC to 57 as Dalits, which include Matuas, rallied behind the party like never before.If BJP’s surge to 207 seats in the 294-member assembly (one seat will go to repoll) from 77 in 2021 marks a huge broadening of support, its dominant show in reserved seats stands out for the deep roots it has made among these communities.That Matuas despite their misgivings about SIR and TMC’s intense attempts to woo them, stayed solidly with BJP highlights their trust in the party, its functionaries said.In Assam, things went even better for the party. With BJP stitching a broad alliance to appeal to different ethnic groups in a state full of diverse identities, which have been at times a source of fracture, it succeeded in annihilating its main rival Congress.BJP won five and its allies three of nine seats reserved for SCs, with Congress getting one. In 19 seats allocated to STs, BJP won 13 and its two allies BPF and AGO the rest as Congress drew a blank.
