SBSP releases 1st list of candidates for Bihar elections | Lucknow News

Lucknow: Snubbed by the BJP, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), a constituent of the NDA in UP, released its first list of 47 candidates for the Bihar elections on Wednesday. The party is expected to announce candidates for 25 more seats in the coming days, sources said.SBSP had on Tuesday announced to go solo in Bihar elections after it failed to bag any seats from BJP.BJP has formalised its seat-sharing arrangement with its Bihar allies – JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Hindustani Awam Morcha. SBSP has given tickets to its key members, including state party president Uday Narayan Rajbhar who will contest from Obra in Aurangabad district. SBSP national general secretary, Arvind Rajbhar, who has been entrusted to oversee the party’s poll preparation in Bihar, told TOI they will contest on seats which have a sizable presence of Rajbhar community and associated OBC sub-castes.“SBSP is fighting for social justice, equal rights, and equal opportunity. We expect to emerge as a strong alternative and are committed to ensuring the participation of every section of society,” he said. He said the party’s organisational strength in Bihar has continuously strengthened. “And today the party is contesting with strong claims in various areas of the state,” he said.He said each candidate has grassroots connections and fights for public issues. After being sidelined in the NDA’s Bihar seat-sharing pact, the SBSP has decided to go solo in Bihar to prove its relevance beyond Uttar Pradesh, where it draws strength from eastern UP’s Rajbhar community. The party’s focus on seats with a sizable Rajbhar and related OBC population indicates a micro-targeted caste-based strategy. Experts said in Bihar’s caste-driven politics, SBSP is attempting to position itself as the voice of backward sub-castes that feel under-represented by prominent parties like JDU or Rashtriya Janata Dal.