Nishad Party to contest 2 seats in bypolls on own symbol as NDA ally

Addressing his party leaders and workers in Lucknow to mark the  NISHAD  Party’s foundation day, the party chief said they will fight the by-elections from Katehri and Manjhwa of a total of 10 constituencies that will vote in the by-elections in the state.

They had contested from two seats in the 2022 Assembly elections on their party symbol, he reminded the workers.

Responding to the loss of his son Praveen Nishad from the Santkabir Nagar seat in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, Sanjay Nishad claimed that the defeat was not of the NISHAD Party since  Praveen  contested as a BJP candidate. Therefore the loss was that of the saffron party, he maintained.

Irrespective of the speculations, Praveen’s defeat would not affect the prospects of the party in the future and that their family is not NISHAD Party. He would deal with any anti-party activities strictly, Nishad warned.

Nishad said ever since the Lok Sabha elections, people have been questioning him whether Sant Kabir Nagar Lok Sabha seat would mean the end of the NISHAD Party. “While I have not answered this question so far, I want to clarify that my son Praveen Nishad is not NISHAD Party. My family is not the NISHAD Party,” he added.

“It was the BJP that contested from the Lok Sabha seat and not us. Praveen Nishad was a BJP candidate. Even if he lost, it would not have any bearing on the NISHAD Party,” said Sanjay Nishad.

“The NISHAD Party would have lost the election had the Nishad community not voted for him. In fact, he got 80 per cent of the Nishads votes even as the Samajwadi Party candidate was also from the community. No one should be under the impression that if they leave, the party will be finished. I will make it bounce back completely. Even if my sons are found involved in anti-party activities, I will not waste a minute expelling them from the party,” he asserted.

The minister also hit out at the Samajwadi Party for allegedly failing to raise the plight of a rape victim from Ayodhya who belonged to the Nishad community.

He gave a call to his party supporters to work hard ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls so that the party could play a significant role in the formation of the next government in the state.