Setback for Samajwadi Party as two party workers join BJP

Two Samajwadi Party (SP) workers have joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  ahead of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.  Maninder Pal Singh, former chairperson of District Council, Meerut and Rahul Yadav, former SP representative of Ghaziabad have joined BJP. Rahul was considered to be very close to Yadav clan, also representing the ‘Yadav backward caste.’

BJP state in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Lok Sabha MP from Meerut; Rajendra Agarwal and Lok Sabha MP from Bijnor and Bhartendra Agarwal, were also present during the event held at BJP headquarters. 

The new BJP member Maninderpal Singh told reporters: “After Congress mukt Bharat, it is time for SP-BSP mukt UP. We will make the state corruption-free, and with this ambition, we have joined the party.” While talking to Millennium Post, a senior party leader from UP claimed, “There are 71 seats in Western part of UP and we will win over all 71 seats.”  He also said: “Our target is SP-BSP-free state, which means corruption-free Uttar Pradesh.” “The people are leaving the SP brigade and joining us. This is the victory for us,” he added. 

But, the party president Amit Shah termed 2017 as the “year of challenges” for the party, as it is going to face one of the crucial polls of the state. In Uttar Pradesh, the vote of UP’s Yadavs (9 per cent) and Muslims (17 per cent) are with SP.  Along with the Jats, SP has the backing of over 40 per cent of UP’s voting population. 

BJP is eyeing 40 per cent of the votes, comprising Thakurs, Brahmins, Bhumihars, Kurmis and some OBCs.  Even Dalits, who constitute 20 per cent of the state’s population, still seems to be intact with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). 

According to party insiders, Shah believes whoever gets 22 per cent of this vote will win easily.  The key now is to strike a perfect balance between the backward and forward caste vote banks. 

However, a positive result for Bharatiya Janata Party in UP that sends the maximum number of MPs of the Party to the Lok Sabha will lay the groundwork for Battle 2019.