Prajapati group seeks to turn caste strength into political clout

An organisation of the Prajapati community has launched a nationwide political mobilisation drive to consolidate the caste and strengthen its bargaining power with political parties ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

Claiming that the Prajapati community has a population of around nine crore across India, the Prajapati Community Service Foundation (PCSF) has demanded that political parties allocate election tickets to Prajapati candidates in proportion to its population. The organisation said it has written to the BJP, Congress and Samajwadi Party seeking greater political representation, and has also held a couple of meetings with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on the issue.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi vows to keep fighting as Leader of Opposition stint enters third year


The initiative marks an attempt by the OBC community—known by different names such as Prajapati, Kumhar, Kumbhar, Kumawat and Kulal in different states—to consolidate its scattered social base into a more organised political constituency capable of influencing candidate selection and electoral outcomes.

At a leadership training programme in Delhi on Monday, around 55 political aspirants from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Goa were mentored by senior leaders as part of a strategy to build grassroots leadership ahead of the next round of Assembly elections.

PCSF president Raajesh Prajapati said the community remains politically underrepresented despite its sizeable population and geographical spread. He said the organisation has sought proportionate representation in elections from the village level to Parliament and aims to build a cadre of trained political leaders across states.

The organisation also announced plans to prepare and support at least 20 candidates across different political parties for the 2027 Assembly elections and identify at least five potential candidates for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Also read: NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule alleges 'political manipulation' ahead of 2029 elections, raises concern on Operation Tiger

The Prajapati community is classified as OBC in many states, while sections are recognised as Scheduled Castes in parts of Madhya Pradesh and as Extremely Backward Class in Bihar. Community leaders believe that greater caste consolidation across states can improve the community's negotiating position with political parties and translate its demographic presence into stronger legislative representation.

The Prajapati Community Service Foundation, in a statement, claimed that it is registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act.