SC/ST Amendment Act reopened MP caste divide?

MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in power since 2005, faces a big challenge of upper caste anger in the 2018 assembly elections over the SC/ST Amendment Act. Upper castes in MP have traditionally voted BJP but their counter-mobilisation started after Chouhan said an SC/ST meeting: 'hamare rahte koi maae ka laal aarakshan khatam nahi kar sakta' (no mother's son can end reservation as long as we are there). Upper castes make up about 15% of voters in MP and reservations have combined with the SC/ST Amendment Act to make caste a major political dividing line in the state. In March 2018, the Supreme Court diluted stringent provisions for arrests under SC/ST Act, to make sure there were no "false implications". After nationwide protests against the order from SC/ST organisations, Parliament passed a bill in August 2018 to overturn SC order for safeguards against arrest under the SC/ST Act. Both Chouhan and opposition leaders have been attacked in poll rallies for not opposing change in SC/ST Act. A new party Sapaks (Samanya Pichhda Alpsankhayak Karamchari Sansthan) representing upper caste votes is also in the fray in as many as 140 seats. This episode of Election With Times from Madhya Pradesh brings you ground voices on why bridging the caste divide has emerged as a major challenge for Shivraj Singh Chouhan as he faces a resurgent Congress.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/2DV4Zyh

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