Akhilesh fails to keep alliance together as Rajbhar’s party heading for a split

It was not unexpected when Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party President Omprakash Rajbhar and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party President Shivpal Singh Yadav walked into the dinner meeting of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath organised in honour of NDA presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu and support for her in the election slated for July 18.

Both of them were ignored when the opposition's presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha came to Lucknow to seek votes. Akhilesh Yadav called RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary but did not call Om Prakash Rajbhar. Later Rajbhar said that it seems that Akhilesh no longer needs him.

Apart from Rajbhar and Shivpal, Independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya also attended the dinner meeting.

After the meeting, Rajbhar and Shivpal Yadav refused to speak to the press but Raja Bhaiya said that both of them have assured support of their parties to Murmu in the Presidential election.

Spokesman of SBSP, Anil Rajbhar said that they went to attend the dinner meeting because they got the invite from the Chief Minister. “We skipped the Opposition meeting because Akhilesh did not invite us to that meeting,” he said.

Before the assembly elections, Akhilesh Yadav had formed a strong alliance by aligning with small caste-based parties. The recent development shows that the alliance is heading towards disintegration. Soon after the results of the assembly elections, Akhilesh Yadav's uncle and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party president Shivpal Singh Yadav and then Mahan Dal president Keshav Singh Maurya broke ties with the SP.

And now SBSP chief Omprakash Rajbhar has also indicated his separation from the SP.

There was a rift between the SP and the SBSP soon after the results of the assembly elections were announced. The rift was exposed further during the Legislative Council election. Omprakash Rajbhar wanted at least one out of the four seats in the Legislative Council, but Akhilesh ignored his request.

Hurt by Akhilesh’s decision, Rajbhar even taunted that the RLD, which won eight by contesting 34 seats got the reward of Rajya Sabha, while his party which won 6 out of the 12 seats it contested was ignored. He even criticised Akhilesh’s style of functioning after the Samajwadi Party lost Azamgarh and Rampur by-elections. “We were campaigning in the sun and Akhilesh Yadav was enjoying AC comfort,” Rajbhar said.

Annoyed at Rajbhar’s remarks Akhilesh Yadav said that the SP does not need anyone's advice. This was probably the reason why he did not invite Rajbhar and his legislators for the meeting of the Presidential candidate.

Rajbhar said the SP president needs Jayant Chaudhary therefore he was invited. “As I am no longer needed, I was ignored,” Rajbhar said hinting that the cracks in the alliance have become deeper now.