Since BJP is playing both kamandal and Mandal cards to win over support of voters to retain power in UP during forthcoming assembly elections it was expected that prominence would be given to those castes deprived so far in the ministry.

Former union minister Jitin Prasad is a brahmin face which party would like to be used during the campaign. Three generations of Prasad family including Jitin enjoyed prominence in Congress. He himself was central minister in UPA ministry and his father Jitendra Prasad was political advisor to two governments of Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narsimha Rao.

Two dalit ministers inducted in the ministry Dinesh Khatik is from Hastinapur and Paltu Ram is from Balrampur. Since Mayawati is from Jatav community, BJP is working to win over non-Jatav Dalits .

Similarly BJP is working on non-yadav backwards that is those inducted in the ministry expansion include OBCs Dharamveer Prajapati from kumhar who makes pottery, Sangeeta Balwant Binds who mainly belongs to Nishad community based on river banks, Chattrpal Gangwar MLA is a kurmi backward. It would be worth mentioning here that kurmi community is most powerful after Yadavs. Since Santosh Gangwar was dropped from the union ministry. Chattrpal was brought as his replacement.

The induction of Sangeeta bind is also very important by giving importance to Nishad community by BJP.

The only Scheduled Tribe BJP MLA Sanjeev Kumar Gond was also inducted in the ministry to woo voters of his community.

It may be noted that two days before the ministry expansion/ BJP announced alliance with Nishad Party of Dr Sanjay Nishad.

How BJP is playing mandal card is also evident from the importance given to OBCs from UP in expansion of Modi ministry at the centre. Three OBC and three SCs leaders were inducted in the central ministry.

So much so/ only last month BJP made union minister Dharmendra Pradhan who belongs to backward community as incharge of UP in view of forthcoming assembly polls.

It was only in 2019 Swantradev Singh who belongs to kurmi backward community was made state president of party by replacing Brahmin Mahendra Nath Pande who was inducted in union ministry.

The main opposition party Samajwadi Pary under the leadership of former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was very critical of expansion of Yogi Adiyanath Nath.

He said that the ministry expansion would not make any impact in 2022 assembly polls.

Akhilesh Yadav said if BJP government had looked after the well being of general public during last four years than there was no need for ministry expansion. He blamed BJP for persuing the politics of hate which antagonised the voters who will remove the party from power in 2022.

In order to counter the mandal card of BJP, Akhilesh Yadav is projecting himself the image of leader who is working for all religions and caste and communities.

The SP leader has deviated from earlier stand of persuing aggressive muslim and yadav formula. For larger perspective he is openly talking of mahila and youth and is not shy of playing soft Hindutva card. He recently said that more than 42 priests were mudered during BJP regime in UP. He was the first politician who demanded CBI probe into the death of President of All India President Akhada Parishad Narendra Giri of Bhagambari math in Prayagraj.

Meanwhile different cells of Samajwadi Party including backward community are engaged in outreach programmes through small yatras and meetings to spread the message of Samajwadi Party and its policies and good work done during governments headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav. (IPA Service)