3 MLAs from Rajbhar’s party may join BJP

Lucknow, May 22

Troubles for dismissed Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar are far from over. According to sources, three of the four legislators of Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) are reportedly in talks with the BJP and could join the saffron party shortly.

Rajbhar, who is aware of the development, said on Wednesday: “Whoever wants to go, can go. I am not going to stop anyone.” 

The SBSP has four legislators — Rajbhar (Ghazipur), Kailash Nath Sonkar (Varanasi), Triveni Ram (Ghazipur) and Ramanand Baudh (Kushinagar) — in the 403-member UP Assembly. The three legislators have been upset with Rajbhar for the past several months and did not even campaign with him in the elections. 

They said that they were being ignored by their own party president. One of the legislators had even voted against the party line in the Rajya Sabha biennial elections last year. A senior BJP functionary admitted that some party leaders were in talks with the disgruntled SBSP legislators.

“We have convinced them that they would get a better deal with BJP and they have agreed. In all probability, they will join us once the government formation at the Centre takes place,” he said. This will leave Rajbhar as the sole member of his party in the state Assembly. — IANS