This morning, six MLAs of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) met with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. This development comes amid reports that those MLAs are on the verge of crossing over to the rival party. This possible future shake-up is bound to impact political equations ahead of the Uttar Pradesh election next year.
The group makes a third of Mayawati’s 18 MLAs, most of whom were expelled over the last four years. After meeting with Akhilesh Yadav, the MLAs said that their problem was not with their boss but her deputy Satish Mishra. The six MLAs also indicated that their options are open and that joining the Samajwadi Party was only one of them.
Aslam Raini said, “We do not have a problem with Mayawati. We have a problem with Satish Mishra; he is the one who misbehaved with our senior leaders Ram Achal Rajbhar and Lalji Verma.”
Aslam Raini, Aslam Ali Chowdhari, Muztaba Siddiqui, Hakim Lal Bind, Hargobind Bhargav, Sushma Patel, Vandana Singh, Ramvir Upadhyay and Anil Singh are among the MLAs expelled by Mayawati.
BSP’s senior most MLAs, Lalji Verma and Ram Achal Rajbhar, were expelled recently for anti-party activities. Both Lalji Verma and Ram Achal Rajbhar, the most visible faces of BSP, were accused of damaging the BSP in recent panchayat elections.
Verma & Rajbhar did not meet with Akhilesh Yadav today. The rebel MLAs said that they considered Lalji Verma their leader. Mr Raini said, “We are 11 MLAs. If we get one more MLA we can form our own party and that is what we want to do. Our leader will be Lalji Verma and he will decide the name and other details of the party.”
In the 2017 assembly election, the BSP won 19 seats and lost one in a by-election. Eleven leaders have been expelled since.
Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki said, “People are meeting Akhilesh Yadav ahead of the assembly elections because the Samajwadi Party is a welcoming space unlike the oppressive nature of Mayawati and even the BJP. BSP and BJP MLAs are scared of expressing themselves, that is why they are coming to the SP.”
Solanki added that “every leader, irrespective of party, has a ground base” and the Samajwadi could definitely capitalise on the connect of the BSP’s MLAs.
The relations between BSP and SP have become more tumultuous after the failure of the alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, for 2022 UP elections Akhilesh Yadav has ruled out alliance with Congress & BSP.