Snubbed by ally BJP, SBSP to go solo in Bihar assembly polls | Lucknow News
Lucknow: BJP ally Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) on Tuesday announced it would contest the Bihar elections on its own.The announcement came hours after the BJP sidelined SBSP to declare its seat-sharing arrangement with its Bihar allies — JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Rashtriya Lok Morcha, and Hindustani Awam Morcha.SBSP also released its list of 20 star campaigners, including party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and his sons Arvind and Arun, for Bihar, where polling will be held on Nov 6 and 11.Arvind Rajbhar, who is also party’s national general secretary, will camp in Bihar and oversee party’s poll work. SBSP national general secretary Shashi Bhushan Singh said the party is likely to announce its first list of candidates on Wednesday.SBSP sources said OP Rajbhar was seeking 10 to 12 seats from the BJP in Bihar. These were the seats where the party’s core vote base of Rajbhar, Bhar, and Rajvanshi communities have a sizable presence. Sources said Rajbhar has now narrowed down his demand to five seats – Rajpur (Buxar), Dhaka (East Champaran), Nalanda, Arwal and Sasaram (Rohtas).“This list will reflect the party’s presence in various legislative assemblies of Bihar and its growing support base among the people. The party aims to strengthen the agenda of social justice, equal opportunity, and inclusive development in Bihar politics,” SBSP said in a statement. SBSP’s organisational strength in Bihar is marginal, but the party hopes to attract non-Yadav OBC and Rajbhar voters in eastern districts bordering UP.Though SBSP is part of the NDA in Uttar Pradesh, its decision to contest Bihar elections independently signals a region-specific strategy. Experts said the move shows Rajbhar’s bid to expand SBSP beyond UP without being overshadowed by bigger NDA allies like BJP or JD(U).Known for flexing muscles while being a part of alliance in the past, Rajbhar wants to project himself as a key political player in the non-Yadav OBC matrix. A senior SBSP functionary said that by going solo in Bihar, Rajbhar aims to project SBSP as a national OBC-centric party rather than just a regional ally of the BJP, primarily in UP.
