Boost to BJP as more than 60: Oppn leaders with spheres of influence flock to ruling party

The biggest scoop made by the BJP was on April 23 when SP nominee for Shahjahanpur mayor’s election, Archana Verma, joined the party on the eve of last day of the filing of nominations for the first phase of civic elections, thereby leaving the SP scrambling for finding her replacement.

Shahjahanpur’s mayor post is reserved for the Other Backward Class (OBC) women. The same day, another prominent SP leader Rais Shukla and two other party leaders joined the BJP in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in Prayagraj. Since then there has been a steady stream of Opposition leaders joining the BJP. On April 30, senior SP leader and former minister Aruna Kori, Lucknow city Congress committee president Ajay Srivastava, RLD’s former district unit president Rahul Chaudhary and district general secretary Rajendra Bharti joined the BJP with their supporters. The BJP claimed that 13 corporator candidates of the Congress in Lucknow also joined them that day.

On May 1, former BSP state unit president Sachaan, who hails from Kanpur, and senior SP leader and seven-term MLA Narendra Singh Yadav, whose home district is Farrukhabad, joined the BJP. Yadav’s daughter and chairperson of Farrukhabad district panchayat, Monika, also joined the BJP, giving a setback to the SP in the district.

Two days later, senior SP leader from Pilibhit and former minister Hemraj Verma along with SP’s block unit chief Sandhya Singh Patel, and SP’s Mahila Sabha state vice-president Sheela Singh joined the BJP. Most of these leaders associated with civic polls are considered to have considerable influence in their respective districts.

“The leaders from other political parties are joining the BJP because they are impressed with the welfare schemes of the BJP governments led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in UP,” state BJP president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary said while welcoming SP leaders on Wednesday.

Sources in the BJP said much ahead of the urban body elections, they started identifying the leaders of Opposition parties who have considerable personal influence in their areas and their induction could help BJP candidates in Nagar Palikas and Nagar Panchayats garner more votes. “More Opposition leaders have been identified who could be inducted before the canvassing for the second phase of the civic elections ends. Also, some senior leaders of other parties will join the BJP from October onwards ahead of nest year’s Lok Sabha polls,” said a BJP leader.

“With these inductions, the BJP is hopeful to improve its performance in Nagar Palika Parishads and Nagar Panchayats. Our party’s performance has always been best in Nagar Nigams which are completely urban areas. However in Nagar Palika and Nagar Panchayats, the dominance of Muslims, Yadavs and Dalits have helped the SP, BSP and Independents,” said the BJP leader.

In the 2017 civic elections, when the BJP came to power in the state with a thumping majority, the party won 87 per cent of mayoral posts and 45 per cent seats of corporators in municipal corporations (Nagar Nigams), but it could win only 35.35 per cent seats of Nagar Palika chairpersons and 17.54 per cent members there, 22.83 per cent of Nagar Panchayat chairpersons and 12.22 per cent members. The BSP and SP, which had contested separately, collectively won 29 per cent seats of Nagar Panchayat chairpersons and 12.34 per cent Nagar Panchayat members, which was better than the BJP’s performance.

Likewise, both the SP and BSP won 37.38 per cent seats of Nagar Palika chairperson seats, which was again better than the BJP’s 35.35 per cent. Independent candidates won 22 per cent seats of chairpersons and 64 per cent seats of members in Nagar Palikas; 41 per cent seats of chairpersons and 71 per cent seats of members in Nagar Panchayats.