Form of words:
Lucknow: SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Wednesday said they are together in their fight for Dalits from other weaker sections of the society, but did not say whether they have formed any pre-poll alliance.
The presidents of both the parties made separate announcements after their meeting, which SBSP supremo Rajbhar called a courtesy call.
Samajwadi Party and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party will fight together for the deprived, oppressed, backward, downtrodden, women, farmers, youth and other weaker sections of the society, the Samajwadi Party said in a tweet in Hindi.
“SP and SBSP have come together. No, there will be no BJP. This time BJP is out,” said the tweet containing pictures of Akhilesh Yadav and Rajbhar’s meeting.
However, the tweet did not mention whether the two parties will contest the upcoming state assembly elections together and what pre-poll agreement, if any, has been reached.
The meeting, which comes a few months before the UP Assembly elections, however, assumes significance.
Having four MLAs in the current UP House, Rajbhar’s party has influence in more than a dozen districts of the Purvanchal region of UP.
SBSP chief Rajbhar said in his tweet that “SP and SBSP have come together.”
However, he said that his meeting with Akhilesh Yadav was a “courtesy meeting”.
“SP and SBSP have come together. He said that only a few days are left with the BJP government, which has betrayed the Dalits, backward, minorities and other classes.
Courtesy meeting with former CM Akhilesh Yadav,” he added in his tweet in Hindi.
The BJP had an electoral alliance with the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party in the 2017 UP assembly elections.
SBSP chief Rajbhar was also made a minister in the state government, but he resigned later before the 2019 elections.
Rajbhar had recently formed a “Bhagidari Morcha”, a participatory political front with Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and some other organisations.
Rajbhar’s meeting with state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh had recently sparked speculation that he might go through with it again.
Both the SP and the SBSP announced via Twitter that they are together, with none of their leaders explicitly saying whether they will contest the elections together.
“Our president Akhilesh Yadav ji will decide the seat-sharing, if any. We are both together,” said a senior SP leader.
SBSP leader Arun Rajbhar said, “His party is with the SP and the consensus on the number of seats will be decided soon.”
A senior SBSP leader said that the SBSP has planned a rally in Mau on October 27, after which things will be clear.
Read also: Akhilesh Yadav targets BJP over Lakhimpur Kheri
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