Review alliances with small parties in UP: BJP cadres demand

Lucknow: Following the expected setback in Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, the allies of BJP, particularly the smaller parties in the state, are in a spot.

BJP cadres are now wanting a review of their relations with the allies because BJP did not get any benefit from these allies that represent specific caste groups, although, the allies did get votes from BJP’s core voters.

For instance, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, failed to get Rajbhar votes for BJP in eastern UP. Rajbhar’s son Arvind Rajbhar could not win the Ghosi seat.

BJP minister Anil Rajbhar said: “The Rajbhar community did not vote for SBSP and the votes that Arvind Rajbhar got in Ghosi, came from BJP. Om Prakash Rajbhar could not save his own Assembly seat Zahoorabad.”

SBSP was recently given a seat in the Vidhan Parishad even though the party has only six MLAs.

Similar is the case of the Nishad Party President Sanjay Nishad who could not even manage the victory of his son Parveen Nishad in Sant Kabir Nagar even though Parveen was contesting on the BJP symbol. The Nishad Party has six MLAs.

“Sanjay Nishad got his son Shravan Nishad elected on BJP ticket from Chauri Chaura Assembly seat. He was given a seat for his party in the Vidhan Parishad, Sanjay Nishad himself is a minister and his son lost the Lok Sabha polls. Will he tell us how many Nishad votes he got for BJP?” said a senior minister who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He further said: “Our party has been pampering these allies without any apparent reason and these allies have been taking maximum advantage of BJP leadership’s leniency. They do not deserve what they have got and we need to do some serious rethinking about them before it is too late.”

Apna Dal, on the other hand, could win only one of the two seats that it contested in the recent Lok Sabha polls. Anupriya Patel won her Mirzapur seat while Rinki Kol lost her Robertsganj seat.

“Yet, Anupriya is a minister in the Union Cabinet and her husband is a minister in the UP government. He is also a member of the Vidhan Parishad. The party has 13 MLAs and has not been able to get Kurmi votes for the BJP. Kurmis, in any case, have been traditional supporters of the BJP and the alliance with Apna Dal has not been an added advantage,” said a BJP MLA of OBC group.

In the case of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the party won both the seats it was allotted in the elections—Baghpat and Bijnor. But RLD could not muster Jat support for BJP – if it had, BJP would not have lost the Kairana seat to SP.

Talking to IANS, albeit on condition of anonymity, several BJP leaders, including legislators, said that the party high command should reconsider the future of these alliances which had caused more harm than good to the party.

“The allies are licking the cream but not contributing anything to the party’s wellbeing. A detailed study of the election results proves this. It would be better to introspect before the next Assembly elections regarding the party’s relations with such allies,” said a legislator.

IANS