Uttar Pradesh: SBSP leader Om Prakash Rajbhar denies joining NDA; alliance with Samajwadi Party firm

Amidst rumors of meeting Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) top brasses and joining National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Suheldeo Rajbhar Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) leader Om Prakash Rajbhar has denied any such thing.

Earlier there were reports of Rajbhar meeting with union home minister Amit Shah and other senior BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan and Suneel Bansal. After this, there were rumors of his going back to NDA and becoming minister in the UP cabinet.

Reacting sharply, Rajbhar said on Saturday that he never met any of such BJP leaders and that he would remain with Samajwadi Party. While talking to media persons in Lucknow, former state minister OP Rajbhar said that his alliance with Akhilesh Yadav is firm and would continue. He even denied going to the oath taking ceremony of UP CM Yogi Adityanath.

Rajbhar said that he had met with Amit Shah long before UP assembly election. Some mischief elements have been circulating the photographs taken then. He said that SBSP would contest 2024 parliament elections with SP. Rajbhar said that on March 28, he and Akhilesh Yadav would go to Gazipur to attend a function.

It may be mentioned that SBSP of Rajbhar was an ally of BJP in the 2017 assembly polls but had parted ways before 2019 parliament elections. Later on he had joined hands with Akhilesh Yadav’s alliances in the recently held assembly polls. Rajbhar had contested 18 assembly seats in the alliance and won six.

Soon after results of UP assembly polls and BJP winning with good number of seats, rumors were floated that Rajbhar might join NDA again.

Published on: Saturday, March 19, 2022, 10:35 PM IST