On Sunday, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav called on senior BSP MLA Sukhdev Rajbhar, who has been ailing for the last two years, at the latter’s residence here in his latest move to woo the non-Yadav OBC communities.
While Mr. Rajbhar earlier this month announced that he was retiring from active politics, he ensured his son Kamlakant Rajbhar joined the SP. In a recent open letter, Mr. Rajbhar lamented that the “Bahujan movement” and “social justice” movement had weakened. He said he was entrusting his son to follow the leadership of Mr. Yadav.
Series of defections
The switch of Mr. Rajbhar’s loyalty not only gives a boost to the SP before Assembly polls scheduled next year but also adds to the series of defections from the BSP.
A five-term MLA, Mr. Rajbhar served as a Minister in the SP-BSP government and a Cabinet Minister in 1997 before being appointed the Assembly Speaker by Mayawati from 2007-12, when she was in power with a majority.
Mr. Sukhdev is currently the MLA from Didarganj in Azamgarh. Mr. Yadav won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Azamgarh.
“His [Mr. Sukhdev’s] experience and blessings are very important for us all,” Mr. Yadav tweeted after the meeting.
The Rajbhars are a community concentrated in parts of east U.P. and outfits like the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party of Om Prakash Rajbhar have become vocal in the State politics demanding a share in power. The BSP has Bheem Rajbhar as its present State president, while the BJP has been promoting Anil Rajbhar, a Cabinet Minister under Yogi Adityanath.
Brahmin leader quits BSP
The BSP also suffered a loss in west U.P. as Brahmin leader Yogesh Dwivedi, who was active in connecting his community to the BSP over the past few weeks, quit the party on Sunday. Mr. Dwivedi, who unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Mathura and Assembly poll from Vrindavan in 2017 on BSP ticket, joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which is an ally of the SP in U.P.
“I did not quit BSP due to you or Behenji, but because of sector in charge Agra, Gorelal Jatav, Sangratna Sethi and Dhara Singh Azad. I served the party for 17 years,” Mr. Dwivedi said.
The SP recently inducted former two-time MLA Sigbatullah Ansari, elder brother of jailed MLA Mukhtar Ansari, while welcoming back veteran leader Ambika Chaudhary after four years. While Mr. Sigbatullah, like his brother and nephew Abbas, contested on BSP ticket in 2017, Mr. Chaudhary returned to the SP after leaving the BSP.
