Om Prakash Rajbhar, whose Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party contested the Uttar Pradesh election with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party - said on Saturday that reports of him meeting Amit Shah were 'baseless'. The SBSP chief categorically denied going to Delhi or meeting anyone. "I'm busy in preparations for local body polls, working to make candidates of SP-alliance victorious," he told news agency ANI.
On Friday media reports suggested Rajbhar met Shah and some top BJP leaders, fueling speculation of a partnership between both parties. "Those are old photos. Someone can repost the old photos and say whatever they want," Om Prakash Rajbhar said today.
Buzz about Rajbhar - who allied with the BJP for the 2017 election and was made a minister - runs contrary to charges he hurled at the ruling party this week, when he accused them of a tacit understanding with the Bahujan Samaj Party for 122 seats.
He alleged candidates for seats in UP's Purvanchal region had been decided at the BJP office while symbols were allotted at the BSP's office. He claimed to have proof of his charges.
"'BSP aur BJP ka male ho gaya, jo UP mein bada khel ho gaya'. 122 seats in Purvanchal are such on which candidates were decided at BJP office and symbols given at BSP office," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"'BSP aur BJP ka male ho gaya, jo UP mein bada khel ho gaya'. 122 seats in Purvanchal are such on which candidates were decided at BJP office and symbols given at BSP office," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"I can provide evidence... Parties that had been in power four times - BSP or Congress - supported BJP. Where did their votes go?" he asked.
In the recently concluded election - the BJP stormed to power for a second consecutive term despite winning fewer seats than it did in 2017 - Rajbhar's party won six constituencies.
Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party won 111 to finish as the second-largest in the state and the main opposition to the BJP, which claimed 255 on its own and 273 with its allies.
The Congress claimed just two seats and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party one.