In BSP’s (OBC) loss, BJP’s gain: Of 10 MLAs who have either left BSP or have been expelled, are likley to join BJP

On Monday, Shivpur MLA Udai Lal Maurya, his brother and former MLA Anil Maurya, former state minister Bhagwati Prasad and former MLC Vinay Shakya joined the BJP with Maurya. Shakya said there are six MLAs in the BSP from the Kushwaha-Maurya caste group, and they would also join BJP.

“It is just the beginning. Many from BSP will join BJP in the coming days. Some will do so on Wednesday when Mauryaji reaches Lucknow,” he added.

Maurya’s exit has not only forced BSP Mayawati to focus more on upper castes and Muslims votes, she is also trying to promote a new team of OBC leaders in the party. The BJP, which looks heavily dependent on support from OBCs to put up a good show in the 2017 Assembly elections, has inducted over one dozen former BSP leaders, most from non-Yadav backward castes — a bloc that is seen as unattached to any one leader or party.

Just before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP had inducted BSP’s Rajya Sabha MP S P Singh Baghel, who belonged to Gaderia caste, which has significant presence among backwards. He resigned from his Rajya Sabha seat and contested from Firozabad, but lost to SP’s Akshay Yadav. He was later appointed the president of BJP’s OBC Morcha.

Post Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had again inducted former BSP leaders. They included then Rajya Sabha MP Jugal Kishore — a Dalit and a once powerful coordinator considered close to Mayawati — and former BSP MP Dara Singh Chauhan, an OBC leader who was the leader of BSP in Lok Sabha before 2014. Chauhan comes from Lonia Chauhan, a backward caste that is mostly based in east UP districts around Varanasi and Azamgarh. He was an MP from Ghosi seat of Mau.

Last year, Dinanath Bhaskar, a Dalit and former minister, had joined the BJP from BSP. Before him, two more Dalit leaders — former MLC Srinath (Deoria) and BSP coordinator Udaibhan (Basti) — had joined the party. Two other OBC leaders of BSP, former MLCs Parmeshwar Lal Saini and Lokesh Prajapati, have also joined the BJP. A few months ago, former state minister Ram Bhual Nishad from Gorakhpur had also joined the party.

Maurya, who has vowed to “finish Mayawati in politics”, is now working on ensuring the presence of former BSP leaders at his rally in Lucknow on September 22.