E-Paper
Seat-sharing formula: Nishad party launches survey with BJP in eastern, central Uttar Pradesh
The exercise is meant to identify the seats on which Nishad party nominees will be in a winnable position in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election
The Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (Nishad) party has launched a survey, along with its alliance partner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in various districts of eastern and central Uttar Pradesh.
The exercise is meant to identify the seats on which Nishad party nominees will be in a winnable position in the 2022 assembly election due early next year.
Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad said the survey report will be submitted to BJP national president JP Nadda to finalise the seat-sharing formula for the election.
The votes of the Nishad community would be decisive in around 160 assembly constituencies in eastern and central UP, the Nishad party has claimed. The party had constituted committees in 70 constituencies for the election, he said.
Sanjay Nishad attended a meeting at the residence of Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday. BJP national president JP Nadda, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, BJP state unit president Swatantra Dev Singh and the party’s state general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal were present at the meeting to discuss the strategy for the assembly election, expansion of the state cabinet and nomination of four members to the legislative council.
After the meeting, Sanjay Nishad said, “I told the BJP leaders that the Nishad party, an alliance partner of the BJP, will field candidates in the assembly election. It was decided that the party will field candidates on the seats where it is in a strong position. Once the survey is over, another meeting will be held in Delhi with senior BJP leaders to finalise the seat-sharing formula.” The entry of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) led by Bihar animal husbandry minister Mukesh Sahani, Jaalvanshi Morcha led by Gyanendra Nishad, Eklavya Sena run by Umed Singh, husband of bandit-turned politician Phoolan Devi, in the state before the assembly election as well as the overtures of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to the Nishad party were discussed at the meeting.
Sanjay Nishad said, “While a majority of the fringe organisations have no cadre, the Nishad party has a strong organisation in the districts of eastern UP. The party also showed the strength of its support base by winning the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat in the 2018 by-poll as well as the Sant Kabir Nagar Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 election,” he said. Sanjay Nishad’s son Praveen Nishad had won the Sant Kabir Nagar seat on the BJP ticket.
To counter the SP and the BSP, the Nishad party urged the BJP leaders and chief minister Yogi Adityanath to include the Nishad, Majhwar, Kewat and Mallah communities in the list of scheduled castes and give them reservation in government jobs accordingly, the Nishad party chief added.
The fishermen’s rights on ponds, lakes and rivers across the state that were withdrawn during the BSP rule should be restored, he said.
He also called for withdrawal of the cases lodged against the Nishad community members during agitations.
“The BJP leaders assured us that the demands will be fulfilled,” he said. A BJP leader said Sanjay Nishad was likely to be nominated to the legislative council and may also get a berth in the state cabinet in the possible expansion of the Yogi Adityanath ministry.
