BJP gets support of 7 UP parties as Rajbhar cosies up to SP

A group of seven small parties has announced support to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, close on the heels of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) forming an alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

SP and SBSP leaders had shared the dais in Mau on Wednesday and announced that they would together trounce the BJP in the 2022 elections.

The SBSP, the main constituent of the 'Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha', and the SP will hold eight rallies in the state in November and these rallies will be addressed by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, SBSP president Om Prakash Rajbhar told PTI in Ballia on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the 'Hissedari Morcha' comprising seven small parties on Wednesday had announced its support to the BJP in the assembly elections, according to a statement issued by the saffron party.

Leaders of the seven parties on Wednesday had handed letters to state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh extending their support.

The leaders include Kewat Ramdhani Bind of the Bharatiya Manav Samaj Party, Chandra Vanvasi of the Musahar Andolan Manch and Babulal Rajbhar of the Shoshit Samaj Party.

Others are Krishna Gopal Singh Kashyap of the Manav Hit Party, Bhim Rajbhar of the Bharatiya Suheldev Janata Party, Chandan Singh Chauhan of the Prithviraj Janshakti Party and Mahendra Prajapati of the Bharatiya Samata Samaj Party.

In the 2017 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP had stitched an alliance with the SBSP. The latter was given eight seats of which it won four.

Though Om Prakash Rajbhar was made a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, he broke the alliance before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and formed the 'Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha', roping in the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Asaduddin Owaisi and some other smaller parties.

On rumours of a rift with AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Rajbhar said he had spoken to the latter and requested him to join the newly-formed alliance.

"Owaisi has assured that he will talk to his people in this regard and inform me about his decision," Rajbhar said.

Leaders of the other constituents of the 'Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha' -- Bhim Army, Jan Adhikar Party, Rashtriya Uday Party, Rashtriya Upekshit Samaj Party and Janata Kranti Party -- too did not attend the SP-SBSP rally on Wednesday.

The SBSP president claimed that he entered into a coalition with the SP on the advice of Owaisi, Shivpal Singh Yadav of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) and Chandrashekhar Azad of the Azad Samaj Party.

Rajbhar had earlier said that the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha would announce its future course of action on October 27, the SBSP's foundation day.

However, the absence of the Morcha's prominent leaders in Mau on Wednesday has led to speculations of the Sankalp Morcha falling apart with the coming together of the SP and the SBSP.