Opposition unity looming, BJP wraps up alliances with small parties in UP

A senior BJP leader in its UP unit told The Indian Express that the BJP was considering letting the Nishad Party field candidates on its own symbol, because the party was demanding that. He was speaking at a programme in Lucknow on the birth anniversary of Kurmi leader Dr Sonelal Patel, the founder of the Apna Dal, after Union Home Minister Amit Shah had appealed to the crowd to extend their support to candidates of the BJP, Apna Dal (S) and Nishad Party in 2024. Later, when Sanjay Nishad took the stage, he was given a rousing welcome.

On July 5, the Nishad Party president launched the Macchua SC Aarakshan Maha Jansampark Abhiyan (Public Outreach Programme for SC Reservation of Fisherfolk), to strengthen its base. Then on Friday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed at Gorakhpur airport, Sanjay Nishad was among the leaders who were part of the welcome party.

The BJP has also decided it will renew its alliance with the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), which had contested the 2022 Assembly polls with the SP and won six seats, but had walked out of the alliance later that year. Sources said the BJP could offer a couple of seats to the SBSP in 2024, including Ghazipur.

“The Apna Dal (S), SBSP and Nishad Party will help the BJP get the support of OBCs and win many of those seats where the BJP had lost against the SP-BSP alliance in 2024. The party does not want to take any chance at a time the other Opposition parties are coming together, and is preparing to meet every challenge. Hence, it will seek the support of smaller and little known parties who have influence on various castes and communities in pockets,” said a senior BJP leader. These parties have support of OBCs, SCs, STs and upper castes in eastern, central, western UP, and Bundelkhand.

“In its recent Maha Jansampark Abhiyan, the party has reached out to social organisations having followers among different castes, communities and fraternities. Their support will also be taken in the polls. These parties and organisations will announce their support to the BJP closer to the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP is doing this to fight against the SP and BSP, who are likely to form alliances with different parties for the 2024 polls,” the leader added.

He also said that support from such parties in the 2022 Assembly polls had helped the BJP fight against the SP-led alliance of OBC based parties.

In the 2022 Assembly polls, the BJP had taken the support of smaller parties of backward castes including the Bharatiya Manav Samaj Party, Mushar Andolan Manch (Garib Party), Soshit Samaj Party, Manavhit Party, Bharatiya Suheldev Janata Party, Prithviraj Janshakti Party and Bharatiya Samata Samaj Party. These parties have influence in various districts of eastern and western UP.

The SP in 2022 had alliances with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), SBSP, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), Mahan Dal and the Janvadi Party (Socialist). Amid reports that the RLD and the SP were drifting apart, SP president Akhilesh Yadav attended a programme of the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) party last week, on the birth anniversary of Dr Sonelal Patel.

The Mahan Dal has also walked out of the SP-led alliance and has recently announced unconditional support to the BSP. It has started a wall-writing campaign across it’s pockets of influence with the slogan “Mahan Dal ne thana haim BSP ko jitana hai (Mahan Dal has taken a pledge to ensure BSP’s win).”

On the bright side, Janvadi Party (Socialist) president Dr Sanjay Chauhan, on Sunday, said his alliance with the SP would continue in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In 2022, four candidates of his party had contested on the SP symbol and one of them had won from Saidpur.