India: Lakhimpur's violence inching as poll plank, say political experts

 Jeep mowing farmers in Lakhimpur Keri

Kanpur: The violence at Lakhimpur Kheri has political indications, as many political pundits see it as a major poll plank in the upcoming UP Assembly polls.

The farmers named the union minister's son as the prime accused in the deaths of four farmers. They demanded that Ashish be booked on murder charges.

This appeared in the background of beliefs that the state's Brahmins were walking away from the ruling party.

Political analysts point out that the party was doling out favours to the OBCs and Dalits at the cost of the Brahmin community.

At the same time, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has been cobbling up a Dalit-Brahmin social formula for the Assembly elections.

She appeared to have refrained from targeting Ajay Misra aggressively. She demanded a judicial probe and expressed solidarity with farmers, stressed the analysts.

The Samajwadi Party, too, had been careful with Akhilesh Yadav staging a sit-in protest outside his Lucknow residence, maintain the political experts.

However, Congress went all out flaying and targeting the minister with Rahul Gandhi in a press meet.

The support of about 10-12 per cent Brahmin voters in Uttar Pradesh is deemed vital for the Yogi Adityanath government as the political observers maintain. 

The Lakhimpur Kheri incident ensured its deeper penetration into central Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress party looks to take a stir to eastern Uttar Pradesh over the next few months.

Farm labourers dominate the largely rural lands so penetration of the farm stir may rise as a bigger factor.

The case of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence may not reach its judicial conclusion before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, fear the political gazers worrying if the Lakhimpur Kheri violence connects with the larger question of farm distress it will erect as a poll issue.