Padma Mohanty
Lucknow: Hardly three days after joining the SP-BSP-RLD (Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal) ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in Uttar Pradesh, the Nishad (Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal) Party on Friday gave a surprise by leaving the anti-BJP alliance by meeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The Nishad Party is lead by Sanjay Nishad, the father of Pravin Nishad who had won the Gorakhpur parliamentary seat on the SP (Samajwadi Party) ticket in 2018 by-polls. Sanjay Nishad said that his party is now not in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.
Sanjay Nishad said, “The Nishad Party has taken a decision that we are not with the ‘gathbandhan.’ We are free, and can fight elections independently or can look for new options as well. The party is free now.” He again added, “Akhilesh Yadav had given assurance that he will announce about from where the Nishad Party will contest polls. He promised one seat from his quota. But we are nowhere neither on the posters of ‘gathbandhan‘ nor on banners. Nothing has been announced to date.” This was the reason given by Sanjay Nishad for breaking the grand alliance.
But the media in-charge of the Nishad Party, Riteash Nishad said, “The Nishad Party is no more in alliance with the Samajwadi Party. There was a conflict between the two parties on Maharajganj seat as Nishad Party wanted to contest with its own party symbol whereas Samajwadi Party was not ready for it, the Nishad party workers are not willing to contest on the SP (Samajwadi Party) symbol and many of them began quitting. So, our national president Sanjay Nishad Ji went to Lucknow and on late Thursday it was confirmed that the Nishad Party is no more a part of the alliance.”
When he was asked whether Nishad Party’s President Son, Pravin Nishad who has won the Gorakhpur seat on SP, will he quit the Samajwadi party, then he said, “I don’t know about it.”
At present, the SP, BSP, and RLD are in a seat-sharing alliance in Uttar Pradesh where SP will be contesting in 37 seats, BSP in 38 seats and RLD in 3 seats. The gathbandhan has decided not to contest two seats that are Rae Bareli and Amethi. In February, Akhilesh (President of SP) had said that many small regional players are ready to be a part of the SP-BSP alliance and all other parties should come together to remove BJP from power at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Three days ago, On Tuesday, the Nishad Party in a press conference in Lucknow had announced that it was joining the grand opposition alliance in the state. On that day only, Sanjay Nishad attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called him a ‘jumlebaz‘ as well as Adityanath in the press meet. He said, “Our constitution, youth and farmers’ futures are in grave danger. People voted for a ‘jumlebaz‘ party cause of their false promises. Modi and Yogi had promised many things for the Nishad community but nothing was done. The Nishad community will now give full support to the SP-BSP alliance in all the state.”
In the meeting with UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad , his son, and UP minister Siddhaarth Nath Singh were present. But there were no words from either party about what happened in the meeting.
