Days after joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar on Wednesday said the BJP-led alliance would sweep Uttar Pradesh in polls, adding that the Opposition in the State was not in a position to electorally challenge the ruling alliance. “In Uttar Pradesh, there is no contest, we will win maximum seats. The SP-led coalition, whatever new name they have given, is not anywhere in competition in the State,” Mr. Rajbhar told The Hindu.
The SBSP chief said the party’s support base was continuously increasing and in many seats of eastern Uttar Pradesh, it was in a position to decide the outcome, which also manifested in the 2022 Assembly polls. Hence its joining would benefit the BJP-led coalition. “Our strength increased since 2022 polls. In Purvanchal, our votes played important role in deciding the outcome. You see that happening in 2022 polls when in districts like Azamgarh, Ballia, Ghazipur, Mau and others the Opposition did very well due to us. Our support has further grown from 2022,” he said.
Mr. Rajbhar said the SBSP would join the Uttar Pradesh government very soon and a decision on number of parliamentary seats the party would contest would be decided in future. “Our party will join the government. In the Lok Sabha polls, we will fight on our own symbol under the NDA. The number of seats on which we will fight would be decided soon”.
The SBSP, formed in 2002, claims to enjoy sizeable support among the Rajbhar community in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The community constitutes four per cent of the State’s electorate. The BJP decision to ally with the SBSP is seen as an attempt to strengthen the NDA in at least six Lok Sabha seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh — Basti, Ghazipur, Ghosi, Janupur, Ballia and Azamgarh — for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as the ruling party was not able to perform well in the region due to the successful alliance of the SP-SBSP.
