In the Ramayana, a humble boatman named Kewat played a small but unforgettable role in Lord Ram's journey. During exile, he ferried Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman across the Ganga. It was an act remembered not merely as service, but as devotion, dignity and symbolism.
Centuries later, the BJP appears to be drawing directly from that symbolism. After fielding Mahesh Kewat, chairman of the Madhya Pradesh State Fisherman Welfare Board, as its candidate for the third Rajya Sabha seat from the state, the BJP leaders have begun placing the nomination within the larger cultural frame of Lord Ram, and Kewat.
Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said that just as Lord Shri Ram honoured Nishadraj by embracing him, the BJP is upholding that tradition by giving an opportunity to Mahesh Kewat, a grassroot worker from Orchha. Yadav also asserted that the BJP would secure a historic victory on all three Rajya Sabha seats, given its sufficient numerical strength in the assembly.
BJP MLA Ashish Sharma went a step further and used the Ramayana parallel to frame the political contest itself. He said it is the BJP's job to create favourable conditions even in adverse circumstances. "Just as Kewat steered Lord Shri Ram's boat across, this Kewat will now steer the BJP's boat to success," Sharma said.
These statements have given Mahesh Kewat's candidature a much larger political meaning. On the surface, it is a Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh. Beneath it, however, the BJP appears to be using a powerful mix of religious symbolism, backward caste outreach, Bundelkhand identity and electoral messaging for both Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
While the saffron party has fielded Mahesh Kewat in Madhya Pradesh, political observers in both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh believe the move may be aimed far beyond Bhopal. The BJP could be sending a carefully calibrated message to the larger Kewat-Nishad-Mallah social bloc in adjoining Uttar Pradesh, which goes to polls in early 2027.
Uttar Pradesh is not just another neighbouring state. With 403 assembly seats, it is the BJP's most crucial political battlefield and a state where caste arithmetic can decide political momentum in the Hindi heartland. Any social signal sent from Madhya Pradesh, especially from Bundelkhand, can travel quickly across the border into UP's riverine constituencies.
The fishermen and boatmen communities, counted among the Extremely Backward Castes, are present in sizeable numbers in nearly 150 to 160 riverine assembly segments of Uttar Pradesh. These constituencies are spread across eastern UP, central UP, Bundelkhand and parts of western Uttar Pradesh. The Nishads, Kewats, Mallahs, Kashyaps and Binds sub-castes associated with the boatmen and fishermen community are particularly influential in more than 60 seats located along major rivers such as the Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti and Ghaghra.
In a closely fought election, these communities can become the difference between victory and defeat. That is why Mahesh Kewat's elevation is being read not merely as a Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh, but as a political signal to a wider riverine caste belt stretching from Orchha and Bundelkhand to the electoral heartland of Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP's political script is, therefore, layered. In the Ramayana, Kewat helped Lord Ram cross the river. In the BJP's present political narrative, another Kewat is being projected as a grassroots figure who could help the party cross a more complex electoral river one that runs through caste, community, Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
But Mahesh Kewat's candidature is not built on caste identity alone. His religious and regional profile gives the BJP an additional layer of symbolism.
Mahesh Kewat's family has been associated for decades as the principal priestly family of Hardaul Ka Baithak, also known as Hardol's Palace, in Orchha. The shrine and historic monument hold deep significance in Bundelkhand. While Mahesh's brother Mukesh is the current priest, Mahesh himself dons the priest's role in his brother's absence. This association has made the family socially respected, especially among the boatmen and fishermen communities in Bundelkhand, both in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
That makes Mahesh Kewat a politically useful figure for the BJP. He is not only a representative of the Kewat community but also a face linked to a revered religious-cultural site in Orchha. His profile allows the party to combine Hindutva symbolism, backward caste outreach and Bundelkhand regional pride in one political message.
The Bundelkhand factor is central to this nomination. In Madhya Pradesh, districts such as Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar and Damoh have strong backward caste equations. In adjoining Uttar Pradesh, the Nishad and allied communities wield influence in Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba and Chitrakoot. These regions share caste networks, cultural memory and political messaging channels across the Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border.
For the BJP, therefore, Mahesh Kewat's nomination appears to serve three major purposes.
First, it strengthens the party's outreach to Extremely Backward Classes. Communities such as Kewat, Nishad, Dhimar, Mallah, Bind and other fishing groups may not always dominate the headline caste debate, but they can quietly influence results in multiple seats.
Second, it sharpens the BJP's focus on Bundelkhand. By choosing a leader from Orchha, the party is trying to create regional balance in Madhya Pradesh while simultaneously speaking to the adjoining Bundelkhand belt of Uttar Pradesh.
Third, it sends a morale-boosting message to the BJP cadre. Mahesh Kewat is being projected as a worker who rose from the booth and local body level to the Rajya Sabha race. For an organisation that repeatedly describes itself as cadre-driven, the elevation of such a worker becomes a political message in itself.
His personal journey adds weight to that narrative. A mathematics graduate from the Kewat community, Mahesh Kewat has been associated with the RSS since 1984 and active in BJP politics since 1995. He has served as a municipal councillor and vice-president of the Orchha Municipal Council. Later, he was made chairman of the Fisheries Welfare Board and given Minister of State status.
But his rise also carries a political twist.
Mahesh Kewat was once expelled from the BJP on allegations that he, along with other party workers, had voted in favour of the Congress during the Niwari Municipal Council president election. His expulsion was later revoked. He returned to the BJP fold, regained organisational space, received a government position, and has now been fielded as the BJP's third candidate in the Rajya Sabha contest.
That irony makes the current battle sharper. A leader once accused of helping the Congress in a local election is now being deployed by the BJP in a contest that could put pressure on the Congress.
The immediate target is Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan. What could have remained a predictable Rajya Sabha election has now turned into a test of political arithmetic, party discipline and caste signalling. The BJP's decision to field Mahesh Kewat has introduced an element of contest and forced the Congress to guard its numbers carefully.
But the larger story goes beyond one Rajya Sabha seat.
For Madhya Pradesh, the move is being read as part of the BJP's preparation for the 2028 assembly election. For Uttar Pradesh, it could be an early social message ahead of the 2027 assembly polls. In both states, the BJP appears to be working on the same formula combine religious symbolism, grassroots elevation, EBC outreach and regional caste arithmetic.
