Uttar Pradesh polls 2022: Owaisi ally Om Prakash Rajbhar proposes '5 CMs in 5 yrs' formula

On Wednesday, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party president Om Prakash Rajbhar proposed a unique power-sharing formula for Uttar Pradesh after the 2022 Assembly polls. A Minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led Cabinet until 2019 when they parted ways, he is currently leading the 10-party 'Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha' which also includes Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM. Asserting that the alliance would win more than 300 seats in the 403-member Assembly, he said, "there will be a new CM every year belonging to a different caste". 

Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, Rajbhar added, "After Babasaheb Ambedkar, Om Prakash Rajbhar is the second person to resign as a Cabinet Minister. People fight elections to become an MLA, MP, or Minister, but Om Prakash Rajbhar continued to fight with the CM even in power for the rights of the poor. People have faith in me."

While Owaisi had announced that AIMIM is contesting 100 seats in the UP election, Rajbhar countered this by pointing out that the seat allocation is yet to take place. He also ruled any tie-up with Samajwadi Party or BSP. On being asked whether Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Yadav will be a part of the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party supremo revealed that the former shall communicate his decision by July 15. 

Confusion in BJP over CM face ahead of UP polls

In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, BJP won a whopping 312 seats in the 403-member House, whereas BSP could win only 19 seats. On the other hand, the SP-Congress alliance failed to bear fruit as it could win in only 54 constituencies. While this was seen as a mandate for PM Modi as BJP had not declared any CM candidate, Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath was a surprise pick for the post. Though Adityanath's stature within the saffron party skyrocketed over the years becoming a star campaigner in all elections, he purportedly attracted ire for the handling of the COVID-19 situation during the second wave.

BJP leaders have made conflicting statements over Adityanath's future as the Chief Minister in the last few weeks. For instance, UP BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh asserted that the polls will be contested under the CM’s leadership citing the end of corruption and hooliganism in the state. However, UP Minister Swami Prasad Maurya stressed that the state’s next CM will be decided by the BJP’s central leadership after the assembly polls. Similarly, newly appointed UP vice president AK Sharma sparked a buzz by asserting that PM Modi's name was enough to win the election.