News Analysis India

Tag: Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha

  • 2022 UP polls: Rajbhar tapping smaller players to expand Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha’s reach

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Estranged Yogi government minister and president of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Om Prakash Rajbhar is making all-out efforts to rope in more partners, smaller though,  to his Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha in order to make it a force to reckon in the 2022 assembly elections in UP.

    However, despite having an image of a tough bargainer, Rajbhar has emerged as an ‘untouchable’ among the big political players in UP.

    After stitching an alliance with All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Asaduddin Owaisi, Rajbhar met Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad recently and invited him to join the outfit to expand its reach in the western UP as well.

    “The Bhim Army chief has given his consent to join the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha,” claimed Rajbhar. Azad has formed the Azad Samaj Party in March 2020 to take part in electoral politics.

    Initially, Rajbhar tried to stitch alliances with mainstream parties like Samajwadi Party and even the Congress in order to get acknowledged in the political landscape of Uttar Pradesh ahead of assembly polls but his efforts did not bear fruits since he joined hands with Owaisi.

    ALSO READ | 2022 UP polls: BJP applying its tried and tested strategy of fortifying booths

    Moreover, parties decided to keep Rajbhar at an arm’s length after his meeting with BJP state chief Swatantra Dev Singh last month.

    That meeting annoyed not only AIMIM chief Owaisi, who intends to contest on 100 seats in UP but also shaken the confidence of the likes of the Samajwadi Party. According to a senior Samajwadi Party leader, it was difficult to ascertain which way would Rajbhar go. “There is no guarantee that the SBSP chief will stand with us after winning election in the alliance. In this scenario, going with a person whose loyalty is questionable will not be a wise decision,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is believed to be completely averse to an alliance with any person who has aligned with AIMIM since he thinks that Owaisi’s party may dent the Muslim vote bank of SP.

    OP Rajbhar’s SBSP had contested Assembly polls in alliance with the BJP and had won four seats in the Assembly for the first time in 2017.

    However, having failed to get favourable responses from the main parties, the Morcha is trying to gain strength by approaching other players in the field.

    AIMIM chief Owaisi is also doing his bit and met Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) president Shivpal Singh Yadav at his Lucknow residence two days back. The political scientist believe that Shivpal Yadav was finding it difficult to join hands with the Bhagidari Morcah or strike an alliance with any other party as he was still waiting for Samajwadi Party to take a call on an alliance with PSPL and that he does not want to jeopardize any possibility.

    The highly placed sources in PSPL claimed that Shivpal was being pressured by SP patriarch and brother Mulayam Singh Yadav to bury the hatchet with Akhilesh Yadav and join hands before the 2022 assembly elections.

    However, Akhilesh has been non-committal on the formal alliance with PSPL saying that his party would consider leaving a few seats for the winnable PSPL candidates.

  • Chandrashekhar Azad will soon join Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, claims Om Prakash Rajbhar

    By PTI

    BALLIA: Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Wednesday claimed that Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad will soon be a part of the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha and a formal announcement in this regard will be made at a rally on October 27.

    The morcha is a front of like-minded political parties led by Rajbhar, a former BJP ally.

    “I had a meeting with AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan in Lucknow on Tuesday which was very fruitful.

    The Bhim Army chief has given his consent to join the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha,” Om Prakash Rajbhar told PTI here.

    The AIMIM had recently announced that it would contest 100 seats in the state assembly polls next year by tying up with Rajbhar-led SBSP and its Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha.

    Rajbhar, who was a cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, had resigned before the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

    He had later launched the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha as a political front of smaller parties.

    Rajbhar said during the talks with both the leaders, the strategy regarding the upcoming elections in the Uttar Pradesh was discussed and it was decided that the first major rally of the morcha will be held at Haldharpur in Mau district on October 27 on the foundation day of SBSP.

    During this rally, the Bhim Army chief will formally make an announcement on joining the morcha, he said, adding that the next rally would be held on November 27 at Sandila in Hardoi district.

    More rallies have been planned for Kanpur, Moradabad and Basti later.

    Besides Owaisi and Azad, leaders of all the parties in the morcha will address these rallies, he said.

    The Uttar Pradesh-based Bhim Army was found in 2014 to fight for Dalit rights.

    Azad later formed the Azad Samaj Party in March 2020 to take part in electoral politics and allied with Pappu Yadav-led Jan Adhikar Party in Bihar Assembly elections.

    Asked if the Vikassheel Insan Party will also be joining his morcha, Rajbhar said its president and Bihar cabinet minister Mukesh Sahni has informed that he will clarify his stand by October 15.

    The SBSP chief said he was hoping that Sahni would attend the October 27 rally.

    Asked about an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, Rajbhar said he has not yet met its national president Akhilesh Yadav or talked to any party leader on the issue.

    The SBSP had contested the 2017 Assembly polls in alliance with the BJP and won four seats.

    The Rajbhars constitute 20 per cent of the Poorvanchal population and are regarded as the second-most politically dominant community after the Yadavs in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

  • UP polls: Asaduddin Owaisi to address Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha’s first rally in Moradabad

    By PTI
    BALLIA (Uttar Pradesh): Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Friday said the newly-constituted Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, a coalition of smaller parties, will hold its first rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad on July 15 to strengthen the alliance.

    “I have met AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi yesterday and we discussed ways to strengthen the Morcha. On July 15, we will be holding a rally in Moradabad. It will be addressed by me and Owaisi. Our next rally will be in Banda,” Rajbhar told PTI.

    When asked about reports that he visited Sayed Salar Masood Ghazi’s ‘mazar’ in Bahraich with Owaisi, Rajbhar said that he did not go there with the AIMIM leader.

    “I was there with Owaisi at his party office opening there. Owaisi visited the mazar and he is free to go anywhere. I did no go with him,” he said.

    The AIMIM had recently announced that it would contest 100 seats in the UP Assembly polls early next year in alliance with Rajbhar-led Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, a front of smaller parties.

  • UP polls: Asaduddin Owaisi to addressBhagidari Sankalp Morch’s first rally in Moradabad

    By PTI
    BALLIA (Uttar Pradesh): Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Friday said the newly-constituted Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, a coalition of smaller parties, will hold its first rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad on July 15 to strengthen the alliance.

    “I have met AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi yesterday and we discussed ways to strengthen the Morcha. On July 15, we will be holding a rally in Moradabad. It will be addressed by me and Owaisi. Our next rally will be in Banda,” Rajbhar told PTI.

    When asked about reports that he visited Sayed Salar Masood Ghazi’s ‘mazar’ in Bahraich with Owaisi, Rajbhar said that he did not go there with the AIMIM leader.

    “I was there with Owaisi at his party office opening there. Owaisi visited the mazar and he is free to go anywhere. I did no go with him,” he said.

    The AIMIM had recently announced that it would contest 100 seats in the UP Assembly polls early next year in alliance with Rajbhar-led Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, a front of smaller parties.

  • Om Prakash Rajbhar proposes new formula for UP: 5CMs and 20 deputy CMs in 5 years

    By ANI
    LUCKNOW: Five chief ministers and 20 deputy chief ministers during its five years tenure is the new social engineering formula for the coalition proposed by Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar.

    Talking to ANI, Rajbhar gives insight into his formula and said the five Chief Ministers will be from five different communities in an effort to give equal representation to all partners in the coalition.

    “If we form the government in 2022, we are clear that there will be five Chief Ministers in five years. One will be Muslim, one Rajbhar, one Chauhan, one Kushwaha and one Patel. We will also have four deputy CMs in a year and 20 in five years. We are clear that everyone will be treated equally in the coalition,” said Rajhbhar.

    He added that Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, a coalition of 10 parties, will contest the election from all 403 seats in the state and “will more than 300 seats to form the government.”

    The SBSP leader, who was earlier part of the NDA government in Uttar Pradesh, said all parties contest elections based on caste and “caste is the reality of the society”.

    “Not like getting backward class votes in the names on Keshav Prasad Maurya and when it’s time to appoint Chief Minister, bring one from Uttarakhand. People of backward castes are waiting for their turn to get the post of Chief Minister. If becoming Chief Minister depends on votes, I said why not form a coalition and become Chief Minister turn by turn,” he said.

    “Every party distributes tickets based on caste and vote bank. Postings of government officers are done based on caste. People might say what they want, but caste-based politics is the reality of society,” Rajbhar added.

    When asked about All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s claim of contesting on 100 seats in upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh under Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, Rajbhar said seat sharing has not been finalised yet.

    “We haven’t had talks about seat-sharing yet. If you would properly read the statement, you’d understand it correctly. It was said they are preparing to contest on 100 seats. There is no dispute in the coalition regarding seat sharing. We have yet to have a meeting regarding seat-sharing,” he said.

    Rajbhar’s statement came after Owaisi on June 27 said that his party will field candidates on 100 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year.

    Owaisi had said that his political party is in alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, a coalition led by SBSP.

  • Shivpal Yadav to be part of Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, says Rajbhar; PSP-L junks claim

    By PTI
    BALLIA: Former Uttar Pradesh minister and president of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Om Prakash Rajbhar on Monday claimed that Shivpal Yadav, who heads the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia, will soon be a part of the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha.

    However, Rajbhar’s claims were dismissed by PSP-L, which said the final decision in this regard will be taken by its chief Shivpal Yadav.

    The Morcha is a front of like-minded political parties led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, a former BJP ally.

    “Two days ago, I met Shivpal Yadav in Lucknow and he is ready to be a part of the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha,” Rajbhar told PTI on Monday.

    On whether Yadav will forge ties with the Samajwadi Party, he claimed, “Shivpal Yadav will not go with the SP. They are not giving importance to him.”

    Shivpal Yadav had formed PSP (Lohia) in October, 2018, after parting ways with the Samajwadi Party over differences with his nephew and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

    Rajbhar also claimed that during the meeting, Shivpal Yadav spoke to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi over phone.

    When asked to elaborate on the conversation between Yadav and Owaisi, the SBSP chief claimed, “Shivpal Yadav will meet Owaisi in Delhi on February 10.

    After this meeting, Yadav will join the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha.

    ” Meanwhile, dismissing the claims made by Rajbhar, PSP-L chief spokesperson Deepak Mishra told PTI in Lucknow, “Party chief Shivpal Yadav will take a decision as to with which party the PSP-L will forge an alliance or in which front it will join. Any claims made earlier to it will be wrong.”

    “As far as speaking to Owaisi is concerned, the claims are totally baseless. Shivpal is competent enough to speak to anyone. Hence, he does not need any medium for this.”

    In December last year, Owaisi announced his party’s intention to fight the next Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh as part of a front led by Om Prakash Rajbhar.

  • UP Assembly polls: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad stitches alliance with Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Saturday met Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party president Om Prakash Rajbhar and agreed to contest the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh as part of the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha.

    Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party general secretary Arun Rajbhar in a statement said their coalition will contest on all 403 seats in the state and the Bhim Army chief agreed to be part of it.

    We are trying to form the government in the state on issues of education, health, electricity and employment, he said.

    “In the 2022 assembly elections, we will form government in the state and give free education and power,” Arun Rajbhar said, adding that “whosoever wants to stop the BJP, they are welcome in the Morcha”.

    In December, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi announced his party’s intention to fight the next state elections in Uttar Pradesh as part of a front led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, a former BJP ally.

    “We are now part of Mr Rajbhar’s morcha,” he said after meeting the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief here.