Lok Sabha elections 2019: Days after joining SP-BSP alliance, Nishad Party walks out, may join BJP

Days after formally joining the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party led ‘gathbandhan’ in Uttar Pradesh, Nishad Party has walked out of the alliance over allegedly being sidelined and because of a failure to reach a consensus on fielding the Nishad party chief from Maharajganj on his party symbol, a party leader said.

Sanjay Nishad, president of Nishad (Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal) party, along with his son Praveen Nishad, a sitting Samajwadi Party MP from Gorakhpur, met CM Yogi Adityanath on Friday evening.

The move comes over a year after the SP had shocked the BJP in the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll with the help of the Nishad party. Praveen Nishad contested the bypoll on SP ticket to wrest the seat held by the BJP for over three decades.

The Nishad party had a key role in the opposition’s success in Gorakhpur bypolls in 2018 which became the template for opposition unity and eventually persuaded two rivals, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, to team up.

Before the Friday’s meet, Sanjay Nishad hit out at the alliance stating that neither the symbol of his party nor the photographs of the party leaders were put on the banners and posters.However, SP Gorakhpur district president Prahlad Yadav said, “Their move makes no difference to us as we won the Gorakhpur bypoll under the leadership of SP chief...and not due to the Nishad party. Earlier too we fielded Praveen only after he joined the SP.” Prahlad Yadav added that the Nishad party wished to contest on its poll symbol which was not possible.

First Published: Mar 30, 2019 00:07 IST