NEW DELHI: BJP leaders have claimed that the Union government's decision to provide reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in medical education seats will help the party in the Assembly polls in five states scheduled next year, especially in Uttar Pradesh.
On Thursday, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare decided to provide 27 per cent reservation to OBCs and 10 per cent reservation to EWS in the All India Quota (AIQ) scheme for medical courses.
The BJP believes the decision will further help the party consolidate its presence over the 40 per cent OBC votebank in Uttar Pradesh.
The saffron camp is also focusing on non-Yadav OBCs, who form around one-third of the state's population.
A senior party leader from Uttar Pradesh said that the decision will help the party get support from both the OBC and EWS category in the poll-bound states.
"OBCs have a decisive presence in Uttar Pradesh and the decision will help the party win their support along with other people-centric measures of the Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath-led governments. The BJP's commitment for 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikash' is visible in the decision, " he said.
He also claimed that OBCs have the largest vote share in Uttar Pradesh and they play a crucial role in deciding the electoral fortunes of any party.
"Except Yadavs, who are believed to be the supporters of the Samajwadi Party, all the other OBC communities will come in support of the BJP, " he claimed.
The party believes that the decision taken on Thursday will benefit about 5, 550 students every year.
A BJP functionary said that the decision will help the party win the support of the OBC/EWS category, which also includes upper caste and other religions.
"The decision will help us gain further ground among the OBCs and the EWS across the country and will also yield electoral gains in the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, " he said.
The national president of the BJP's OBC Morcha, K. Laxman, said, "After a long time, we now finally have the Modi government which is committed to provide due reservation to the backward and EWS categories."