BJP seals UP deal with two allies, formula on seat-sharing soon
BJP president J.P. Nadda, addressing a press conference, said the National Democratic Alliance partners will fight the elections together
New Delhi: After losing some prominent OBC faces, including former Cabinet minister Swamy Prasad Maurya, to the Samajwadi Party, the BJP on Wednesday officially announced that it would contest all 403 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly along with its key allies – the Apna Dal and the Nishad Party -- whose core vote bank is comprised of the backward classes. The seat-sharing formula will be announced soon.
BJP president J.P. Nadda, addressing a press conference here, said the National Democratic Alliance partners will fight the elections together and lauded UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s government over its performance on a host of issues, including the restoration of law and order, boosting investments and an improvement in social indicators.
Mr Nadda also tweeted a photograph of the NDA leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the two allies along with other leaders, and claimed that the NDA will again cross the tally of 300 in Uttar Pradesh.
Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government at the Centre for working for the interests of Other Backward Classes (OBC), Apna Dal (S) chief and Union minister Anupriya Patel and Nishad Party’s supremo Sanjay Nishad hit out at the BJP’s rivals for the “denial of rights” to a large section of the backwards’ community.
Union home minister Amit Shah, who had held series of meetings with the leaders of the BJP’s allied parties on the seat-sharing issue, also tweeted: “Had a meeting with J.P. Nadda, Yogi Adityanath and allies Anupriya Patel and Sanjay Nishad. Blessings of the people of UP are with NDA and under PM Modi, we will again form the government with a thumping majority.”
The BJP chief claimed that the mafia used to be active in Uttar Pradesh in nexus with the previous governments but the BJP government had restored the rule of law in the state and made it a destination for investment.
Sharing the dais with Mr Nadda, the Apna Dal leader said that her party has always struggled for justice for the common man and with PM Modi, the party realised that it can strengthen social justice. She said the BJP government has been a “good cocktail of development and social justice”. Nishad Party’s leader Sanjay Nishad said that the backward classes were being betrayed and orphaned but the BJP government had helped them to secure their rights.