OBC leader Rajbhar back in NDA

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, July 16

Former NDA ally Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party on Sunday returned to the fold ahead of the July 18 meeting of the National Democratic Alliance to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. OP Rajbhar, a senior OBC leader, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and announced the return to NDA.

Rajbhar, who contested the 2022 UP elections in alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, had quit Yogi Adityanath-led Cabinet in the BJP’s first term in UP.

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“Met Shri @oprajbhar ji in Delhi and decided to join the NDA alliance led by Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji. I welcome him to the NDA family. The arrival of Rajbhar ji will strengthen the NDA in UP and the efforts being made by the NDA under the leadership of Modi ji for the welfare of the poor and downtrodden will get further strength,” Shah tweeted.

Rajbhar could join the Yogi Cabinet and his son Arvind could be offered a Lok Sabha ticket. The development comes as a booster for the BJP which is working to expand NDA ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections specially in UP, Maharashtra and Bihar which account for 80, 48 and 40 parliamentary seats, respectively.

The BJP has struck new alliances in these states with LJP (Ram Vilas) and HAM in Bihar; OP Rajbhar’s SBSP in UP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP in Maharashtra.