Eye on 2027 UP polls, SBSP relaunches Rashtriya Suheldev Sena of young ‘foot soldiers’ to expand footprint

Though the offshoot was launched in 2003 at the time of the formation of the party, it did not really have much presence on the ground since the idea was not followed through rigorously, a party leader said. This time, the party has decided on giving it a new structure and a proper hierarchy with regards to the cadre selection, training and other aspects.

Talking to The Indian Express, SBSP spokesperson Arun Rajbhar said, “We have decided to relaunch the Rashtriya Suheldev Sena with a proper uniform, hierarchy and training for its cadre. The party’s vision is to give direction to the youth, especially in rural areas and those from the underprivileged communities. Even as the youngsters are getting enrolled in schools and colleges, they do not get proper guidance for pursuing a career and are not even aware of our own intellectual heritage or icons.”

As part of its attempts to revive the wing, the party held its first training programme for 2,000 volunteers in Azamgarh recently, a party leader said. The volunteers who participated in the programme were from various districts of Azamgarh division. Now the party is preparing to organise training in Varanasi for volunteers from all districts of the Varanasi division, he added.

To help the young “foot soldiers”, particularly those from deprived sections, in making career-related choices, the SBSP is planning to rope in retired professionals such as doctors and engineers, bureaucrats and police officers, to help them get professional skills and make them employable. The idea is to ensure that a sizeable number of these youngsters get into different services while continuing their association with the party’s ideology, another SBSP leader said.

“We have noticed that the youth in rural areas do not have the right guidance. They are simply rushing to get an entry into the Army. But they need assistance in interviews and other details in getting jobs. They will be informed about reservation within reservation, its need and importance. We will also educate them about our culture, history and icons like Raja Suheldev and their contributions to the country,” added Arun Rajbhar.

Since the SBSP is looking for ways to expand its base, this was the reason it had decided to contest the Bihar polls separately despite being an ally of BJP in UP, a leader said. At present, the party has six MLAs in the state Assembly but is hoping to seek a bigger share of seats to contest the 2027 Assembly polls.

With the BJP making efforts to woo OBC voters, particularly in eastern UP, the SBSP, whose primary vote bank base is among the OBC community, is hoping to make its base stronger to be able to bargain better with the ruling ally before the Assembly polls.