Uttar Pradesh Elections 2017: Jat Door-To-Door Campaign Says 'Vote Today', Claims BJP Will Hurt

Greater Noida: It's been a busy day for Vinod Rathi. He had a single-point agenda on Uttar Pradesh's first day of voting: as a member of the Jat Sabha, to go to as many homes as possible and get the community to vote. The Jats, who form 17 per cent of voters in areas like this one, abandoned their traditional choice, Ajit Singh and his Rashtriya Lok Dal, to vote in the general election for Narendra Modi. This time, they vow they will do their bit to ensure it will be a non-BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

"We are confident that we will defeat the Narendra Modi government. From Delhi border to Mathura, Agra - in the entire Jat belt they are finished."
 Mr Rathi's threats aren't just rhetorical. The community has been holding Jat gatherings to spread the message against the BJP, which they oppose for failing to include them in reservation polices that would entitle them to a share of government jobs and places in educational institutions.

"They promised us that we would get reservation, but as soon as they came to power, they turned their back on us," said another Jat Sabha member Toran Singh. All day, he and other associates divided various booths to spread the word.

Jat leaders in Greater Noida, barely an hour's drive from Delhi say that they expect the community to support either Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal or Mayawati, whose Bahujan Samaj Party has traditionally not been favoured because of its Dalit standing.

The BJP is playing down the threat but MP Manoj Tiwari acknowledged there is a problem while stating, "The PM is very sympathetic to their needs but we are trying to resolve their issues."