BJP's Estranged Ally Rajbhar Predicts ‘Massive Win’ For SP-BSP Alliance in Eastern UP

Balia: Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar cast his vote along with his family at the Mirganj Primary School of Balia on Sunday. He said the SP-BSP alliance will get a massive victory in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Rajbhar, who claims to have walked out of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh miffed over denial of seats of his choice in the state, has fielded 39 candidates for seats in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh phases.

"No party will get a majority in these elections. But the SP-BSP alliance will get a massive victory in Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh). Without our support the BJP will suffer losses in at least 30 seats in Purvanchal. It is losing Balia, Gorakhpur and Ghazipur seats," said Rajbhar.

He predicted that the saffron party will only win 15 seats in the state. "The SP-BSP alliance will win 55-60 seats, while the Congress will gets 2-3 seats," he added.

Rajbhar, who has considerable clout in eastern Uttar Pradesh, asserted that his party has not campaigned for the saffron party in these elections. "We are not with them now. We only asked for the Ghosi seat, which the BJP did not give us."

The SBSP chief, who has been playing spoiler to the BJP's plans in Uttar Pradesh, last week declared support for the Congress candidate in Mirzapur and SP-BSP-RLD alliance candidates in Maharajganj and Bansgaon.

On Tuesday, he had dismissed the possibility of Narendra Modi being re-elected as the Prime Minister and said that India’s next PM will be “Dalit ki beti” (daughter of the Dalits).

“In Uttar Pradesh, the NDA will get maximum 15 to 20 seats while the Gathbandhan might get 50 plus seats while the Congress will also improve its tally. As far as I can see, there will be a Dalit Prime Minister, may be BSP chief Mayawati or someone else,” Rajbhar said on May 14.

Fourteen Purvanchal seats that going to polls in last phase on Sunday are constituted of a significant amount of Rajbhar voters. The 14 constituencies include Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushi Nagar, Deoria, Bansgaon, Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Robertsganj.

Rajbhar had tendered his resignation as a Cabinet Mininster on April 13 and said that he and his party has "nothing to do with the Yogi Adityanath government anymore".