The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, in the midst of an intense drive to bolster its electoral strength ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is all set to further expand its fold in Uttar Pradesh by welcoming several new party hoppers into its ranks.
According to sources, these new members include Samajwadi Party’s Sahab Singh Saini, Sushma Patel, Jagdish Sonkar and Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Rajpal Saini. They are expected to join the BJP next week.
Sources said that there was discussion in the BJP about SP’s Sahab Singh Saini joining the party next week for which preparations are on. Sahab Singh Saini and RLD’s Rajpal Saini belong to backward communities, making their addition significant for the BJP’s efforts in appealing to these communities, particularly in western UP.
Sushma Patel, from the Kurmi Other Backward Class community, who previously served as a Bahujan Samaj Party MLA and later joined the SP after the 2020 Rajya Sabha elections, is another new face likely to join the BJP. Patel’s presence is expected to bolster the BJP’s position in Purvanchal.
SP leader Jagdish Sonkar, a four-time MLA from Jaunpur, is also expected to join the BJP.
According to party sources, all these leaders, along with some other politicians, are also expected to join the BJP.
Earlier, Om Prakash Rajbhar, the chief of Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party, returned to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance recently. Earlier, another OBC leader from Purvanchal, Dara Singh Chauhan, had resigned as a SP MLA to join the BJP.
During a recent visit to Lucknow, BJP national general secretary BL Santosh said that people who align with the party’s ideology would be welcomed.
BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary also expressed a similar sentiment, emphasising the transparent style of working of the party to welcoming state leaders who share the BJP’s ideology and the style of working of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.