Lucknow: With the winter session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature underway, the churn within caste politics has become more visible, as Brahmin legislators came together in Lucknow on Tuesday evening, signalling growing unease in a community that once dominated the state’s political power structure.
Community Meal at BJP MLA’s Residence Becomes Political Statement
The meeting was held at the residence of Kushinagar BJP MLA P.N. Pathak, also known as Panchanand Pathak, and was described as a sahbhoj or community meal. Legislators from Purvanchal and Bundelkhand attended the gathering.
Sources said the meeting reflected a growing belief within the community that Brahmins are being politically marginalised in an era of aggressive caste consolidation. Participants reportedly felt that while other social groups have strengthened their bargaining power, Brahmin concerns are not being raised with the same urgency, despite their numerical and historical significance.
There are 52 Brahmin MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, 46 of them from the BJP. Sources said around 45 to 50 legislators attended the meeting. The meeting has assumed wider political significance as it follows similar gatherings by legislators from Thakur, Kurmi and Lodh communities. The sequence of such meetings has attracted attention in Lucknow and Delhi, including within the BJP leadership, particularly against the backdrop of speculation over a possible cabinet expansion.
Key Leaders From BJP and Upper Caste Groups Attend
Those present at the Brahmin legislators’ meet included Prem Narayan Pandey, Ratnakar Mishra, Shriprakash Dwivedi, Vinay Dwivedi, BJP MLC Saket Mishra, Shalabh Mani Tripathi, Vivekanand Pandey, Rishi Tripathi, Ramesh Mishra, Ankur Raj Tiwari, Rakesh Goswami and Kailash Nath Shukla, among others.
Discontent among Brahmins has been simmering for months and sharpened after the Etawah kathavachak choti incident, which triggered tensions between Brahmin and Yadav communities. The absence of any prominent Brahmin leader visiting the area after the incident was widely noted.
Social media has mirrored this dissatisfaction. A post from a Facebook account named Brahmin Ekta accused the state’s 51 Brahmin MLAs of failing to stand up for the community in Etawah. Separately, the Parshuram Sena Sangh alleged that all political parties were systematically weakening Brahmins and warned that the response would be visible in the 2027 Assembly elections.
Electoral Weight Extends Beyond Population Share
Political analysts say Brahmins play a decisive role in nearly 30 districts, influencing around 150 Assembly seats. In the 2022 elections, the BJP secured nearly 89 percent of the Brahmin vote. Though they account for around 11 to 12 percent of the population, Brahmins have traditionally been vocal and capable of shaping political narratives beyond their own numbers.
Historically, Uttar Pradesh politics was dominated by Brahmin leadership. Between Independence and 1989, the state had six Brahmin chief ministers. The 2007 Assembly election saw the BSP come to power through a Brahmin-Dalit alliance crafted by Mayawati, with Satish Chandra Mishra emerging as the party’s principal Brahmin face. Disillusionment during the BSP regime later pushed many Brahmins towards the Samajwadi Party in 2012 and then to the BJP in 2017, when the party returned to power with a full majority and 46 Brahmin MLAs.
Parallels Drawn With Thakur Legislators’ Meeting
The latest mobilisation has inevitably drawn comparisons with the meeting of Thakur legislators held on August 11 during the monsoon session of the Assembly. That gathering, termed the Kutumb Parivar meeting, was attended by around 40 of the state’s 49 Thakur MLAs, including members of the Samajwadi Party, at a five-star hotel in Lucknow.
Together, these developments underline a deeper political undercurrent in Uttar Pradesh, where a community that once ruled the state now appears anxious about its place in an increasingly competitive caste landscape.
