Nishad party chief discusses seat-sharing for UP polls with Shah & Nadda; eyes 70 seats

Strategising for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls, Nishad Party chief Dr Sanjay Kumar Nishad met Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, BJP Organization General Secretary BL Santosh in Delhi on Tuesday. Nishad held talks on seat-sharing for the upcoming assembly elections and poll strategy. He will be meeting the BJP high command again in the next few days. Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Gujarat, Manipur, Goa and Himachal Pradesh is set to go to polls in 2022.

Nishad Party chief hold seat-sharing talks with BJP

As per reports, Nishad attended a Kashyap community event in Bahgpat where he said, "We have been demanding for a long time that our caste be included in the SC quota. But when SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Home Minister, he had blocked our demands. Both the SP and the BSP kept on asking for our votes, but did not deliver. But we have full faith in the BJP's Centre and UP government that our demands will be met soon." The Nishad party eyes to fight the polls on 70 seats in alliance with BJP, as per reports.

BJP preps for UP polls

Earlier in the day, ahead of the five state elections, PM Modi directed all cabinet ministers to prioritise projects in the poll-bound states, reported sources. As per the PM's instructions, all the ministries of the government are holding meetings daily, said sources. A list of development works is being prepared from all states with special emphasis to Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. With farmer resentment against the three farmer bills at a peak in Western Uttar Pradesh, CM Yogi Adityanath made several pro-farmers announcements including withdrawing cases against them for stubble burning and interest waiver on their electricity dues. Undeterred, the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha held a massive Kisan Mahapanchayat as a show of strength against the Centre's Farm bills. 

With BJP fighting under the leadership of incumbent CM Yogi Adityanath, several fronts have cropped up to challenge the ruling BJP. While Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj is eyeing an alliance with AIMIM, Azad Samaj Party, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party; parties like AAP, Shiv Sena, and JDU have announced that they will be contesting for the UP polls. Samajwadi Party and BSP have decided to not ally and shut their doors to Congres, opting to ally with smaller parties if needed or go solo. Since then, Congress has aggressively campaigned under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi in the state, eyeing its solo return. The 403-seat where Yogi rules with an iron-clad majority of 314 seats, is up for grabs in February 2022.