After the recent visit of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi to Lucknow, the process of formation of a third front comprising small political parties has gained momentum. Former ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party Om Prakash Rajbhar, who heads the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party, is quietly busy stitching alliances with smaller parties in Uttar Pradesh.
Rajbhar, a BJP ally till May last year, was a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government but was shown the door in the midst of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after he made several derogatory statements against the BJP.
The SBSP is focused on the Rajbhar community, which constitutes around 17-18 per cent of the population in the Purvanchal area of Uttar Pradesh.
Sources close to Rajbhar said that he is in the final stages of sewing up alliances with smaller parties.
“Talks with Shivpal Singh Yadav, who heads the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), are in the final stages. Rajbhar also had a meeting recently with Asaduddin Owaisi of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. Talks are also on with Jan Adhikar Party president Babu Singh Kushwaha, Rashtra Uday Party chief Babu Ram Pal, Janata Kranti Party president Anil Singh Chauhan and Rashtriya Upekshit Samaj Party chief Premchand Prajapati,” the sources said.
Rajbhar plans to mobilise Dalits, most backwards and Muslims so that they can play a significant role in the formation of the next government after the 2022 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Interestingly, Rajbhar held meetings with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav but neither side has since said anything on the meetings.
Another key constituent of the proposed alliance — tentatively called Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha — is likely to be the Bhim Army as Rajbhar also met its chief Chandrashekhar Azad.
Rajbhar had met Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh last week. It is likely that the AAP will also come on board the new alliance. Rajbhar had extended support to Sanjay Singh when multiple FIRs were lodged against the AAP leader for speaking against the Yogi government.
“If different communities in OBC and SC/ST categories join hands, we will have a major say in the formation of the next state government. If Muslims join us, we will have our own government,” the SBSP chief said, adding that the new alliance would contest all 403 UP Assembly seats.