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BJP lawmaker, six rebel BSP MLAs join Samajwadi Party
Recently, Akhilesh Yadav cemented an alliance with the SBSP (Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party), a former BJP ally-turned-rival
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker and six rebel Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the presence of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav at the party’s state headquarters in Lucknow on Saturday.
The development came a day after Yadav inducted two western UP Congress heavyweights, Harendra Malik (former MP) and his former MLA son Pankaj Malik, into the party.
On Saturday, Rakesh Rathore, BJP MLA from Sitapur Sadar, joined Akhilesh’s party along with BSP rebel MLAs Aslam Raini (representing Bhinga in Shravasti), Mujtaba Siddiqui (Pratapur, Prayagraj), Aslam Ali Chaudhary (Dhalauna, Hapur), Hakim Lal Bind (Handia, Prayagraj), Sushma Patel (Mungra Badshapur, Jaunpur), and Hargovind Bhargava (Sidhauli, Sitapur).
The BSP suspended these MLAs after they opposed the nomination of the party’s official candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls last October.
After inducting the seven MLAs, Akhilesh said, “After today, the chief minister will change his slogan from ‘Mera Parivaar, Bhajapa (my family, BJP)’ to Mera Parivaar, Bhaagta Parivaar (my family is running away).”
The six rebel BSP MLAs met Akhilesh Yadav for the first time last year and then again in June this year. Rakesh Rathore, too, met Akhilesh more than once in the last six months and had been speaking against the BJP.
Aslam Raini said, “We will ensure that the Samajwadi Party attains a record victory on all the seats. Last year, we had sensed that it is the SP that will oust the BJP and form the next government.”
Rakesh Rathore said, “I am glad that the SP has embraced me, will work for the party’s victory and see Akhilesh Yadav as the next chief minister.”
Referring to Rathore’s joining, the SP chief said, “Now, the honourable (chief minister) must get the house cleaned for Diwali and make way for us.”
Openly attacking the Congress for the first time, he said, “The BJP is Congress, the Congress is the BJP.” He had been hitting out at only the BJP till now, avoiding any attack on the BSP or the Congress.
On Monday (October 25), former BSP leaders Lalji Verma and Ramachal Rajbhar announced joining the Samajwadi Party at a rally in Ambedkar Nagar on November 7 in the presence of Akhilesh Yadav.
For the last one-and-a-half years, the Samajwadi Party has been attracting leaders from other parties, largely the BSP and the Congress. The switchovers have intensified as the assembly polls are due early next year. Akhilesh Yadav has been repeatedly saying that “any leader who wishes to join the SP is welcome”.
He also said, “The SP will not ally with any big political party, but will instead opt for strategic alliances with small regional parties.”
Recently, Akhilesh Yadav cemented an alliance with the SBSP (Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party), a former BJP ally-turned-rival.
Senior Uttar Pradesh minister and state government spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh said that Samajwadi Party may have been making lofty claims of victory in the 2022 assembly polls but the fact remains that it has been inducting “rejects” of other parties to complete its list of 403 candidates. It only manifested the desperation of Akhilesh who had been busy taking in leaders from other parties left and right, clearly showing his party did not have candidates to field in 2022 elections, the BJP leader said.
