BJP making inroads into SBSP vote bank

LUCKNOW: While BJP ally SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar boycotted the release of postage stamp in the name of Maharaja Suheldev by PM Narendra Modi on Saturday, the saffron party made a concerted bid to prop up its own Rajbhar leaders while honouring Suheldev to woo the community ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
Rajbhar triggered a fresh controversy on Saturday by saying that the stamp does not mention Rajbhar as Suheldev’s surname.
The SBSP chief, who is also a minister in Yogi Aditynath cabinet, has been flexing his political muscle by portraying himself as the sole representative of Rajbhar community which has a strong presence in parts of east UP.
Rajbhars account for 7% to 10% of the voting population in Ballia, Ghazipur, Mau, Ambedkarnagar, Allahabad, Chandauli and Varanasi, and have potential to swing the electoral fortunes of any party in election.
While the SBSP chief has been doing his political spade work to mobilize and consolidate the community and even threatened to go solo in case the seat sharing with the ruling party doesn’t work out, the BJP has been cultivating its own Rajbhar leaders like state minister Anil Rajbhar and Ghosi MP Hari Narayan Rajbhar, who recently demanded a house for Ram Lalla under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Ayodhya.
The BJP plan became evident first earlier this year when it nominated Sakal Deep Rajbhar for Rajya Sabha seat. A resident of Ballia, Sakaldeep, has an RSS background as well.
UP BJP spokesperson, Chandra Mohan, meanwhile, took a swipe at SBSP chief for boycotting the event and said, “Those who respect and believe in the legacy of Maharaja Suheldev should have attended the PM’s event. Those who skipped are the ones who do community politics for personal gains only.”
BJP also plans to construct a memorial in the name of Suheldev in Bahraich.
CM Yogi has, in fact, entrusted his minister Anil Rajbhar to identify the memorial site and come up with a plan for it.