The saffron party has fielded 17 candidates from the Koli caste and has sought to hail President Ram Nath Kovind as one despite him being a Dalit.BJP insiders say party president Amit Shah 's arithmetic counts on smaller castes. Choudhary, Koli, Prajapati and Brahmin are a few that have not been discussed and BJP seems to have made its presence among them. These castes in north Gujarat could be a major boost going by some interactions on the campaign trail. He says more than 80 per cent of Choudhary families are voting for BJP to strengthen the PM. Only the equations in Gujarat are not new to Shah and BJP might seek a stronger consolidation to counter desertion of some Patel voters, particularly the youth attracted to Hardik.

Source: Times of India December 03, 2017 00:11 UTC