Mahendra Rajbhar quits SBSP, accuses party chief of promoting family

In his two-page letter to party chief OP Rajbhar, Mahendra wrote: “Your political instability and ignoring of grassroots party workers were clear during the Assembly elections… We have reached the conclusion that instead of helping the party to grow, you are instead helping your own family to grow, which is inappropriate… The party has become a laughing stock in the community because of your inappropriate remarks and frequently changing sides… people call you a “bikau” leader.”

Speaking to The Indian Express, Mahendra said, “I have resigned along with other senior leaders of the party for the honour of our workers. They are being ignored by the leadership. The party had got 17 seats in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP), but SBSP gave tickets to outsiders on various seats like Mau Sadar, Zafrabad, Jakhanian and others. I had demanded tickets for six people from the OBC community, but was denied.”

He claimed that some more leaders will quit the SBSP in the coming days. “After that, I will announce my next move,” he added.

The SBSP, which claims influence among OBC voters in eastern UP district, was earlier an ally of the BJP and part of Yogi Adityanath government in the state. Ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls, OP Rajbhar-led party allied with the SP and won six seats. However, the relations between the two parties soured after the election results as SP failed to dislodge the BJP from power in UP. In July, after SBSP legislators voted in support of the NDA nominee in the Presidential polls, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said that Rajbhar was free to go wherever he expected to get more respect. A day before that, Rajbhar had received Y-category security cover from the BJP government. Rajbhar has also been praising BSP chief Mayawati in the past recent months.

Reacting to the resignation, SBSP national general secretary and spokesperson Arun Rajbhar said Mahendra was removed from the party post after the 2022 Assembly polls since he had worked for the rival parties during the elections. “He (Mahendra Rajbhar) is working under the influence of other rival parties. But the party will speak to him and discuss the issues. We will try to convince him to stay in the party.”

A leader of the SBSP in Mau, meanwhile, said that Mahendra’s exit will be a setback for the party as he has a following among Rajbhar voters in Mau and Ballia districts. “Also, his resignation comes at a time when the party is focusing on organisational expansion ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and is going to launch a statewide “savdhan yatra” from September 26,” the SBSP leader added.
Mahendra had earned the sobriquet of “katappa”, a character from the film, Bahubali, during the 2017 Assembly elections when the party had tied up with the BJP. During a campaign rally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that Mahendra had the power of Katappa to defeat

Mukhtar Ansari in Mau Sadar. However, Mahendra lost the elections to Ansari by a small margin of 8,698 votes. Mahendra went on to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Ghosi, but finished third.