‘Mandate of educated people, not ordinary voters’: Rajbhar on SP’s Varanasi wins

“The same educated voters will not go out to vote in the assembly elections. They will take a holiday, while ordinary voters will turn up at the booths. Look at the difference between the people’s election and that of educated people. This is the history of the state and the country,” Rajbhar remarked, rejecting any characterisation of the MLC polls as a “semi-final” or rehearsal for the 2027 assembly elections.

Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar sought to play down the Samajwadi Party’s victories in both the Varanasi Graduate and Teacher constituencies in the MLC elections, saying the results had little bearing on the 2027 Assembly polls as the two elections involved different electorates.

SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar sought to play down the SP wins in Varanasi. (File)

Speaking to reporters in Ballia after attending an agricultural seminar at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Sohanv (and related events in the district) on Wednesday, Rajbhar said, “This is the mandate of educated people. We welcome the mandate. This is the vote of educated people, not of the common public.” He referred specifically to the SP’s success in Varanasi, which is also the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.

“The same educated voters will not go out to vote in the assembly elections. They will take a holiday, while ordinary voters will turn up at the booths. Look at the difference between the people’s election and that of educated people. This is the history of the state and the country,” Rajbhar remarked, rejecting any characterisation of the MLC polls as a “semi-final” or rehearsal for the 2027 assembly elections.

In villages, he said, only a handful of residents voted in the MLC polls while thousands stayed home.

In a separate post on X on Thursday, Rajbhar congratulated SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on his party’s performance but turned the focus to the Congress.

“Akhilesh ji, many congratulations on your party’s performance in the MLC elections. By the way, tell me, have you congratulated your friend Rahul ji or not? In UP, the Congress people could not even find candidates, where they did, the result was ‘zero’. Even in Congress-ruled Karnataka, people rejected your friend,” he wrote. He urged Yadav to remind the Congress of its “zero” support if it demands a large seat share in 2027, noting that no Congress worker supported SP candidates during the MLC campaign.