Beni meets Rajnath

NEW DELHI: In a move that is certain to create ripples in the political landscape of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party MP and former union minister Beni Prasad Verma met BJP president Rajnath Singh here last week. The meeting between the two political leaders, said to have taken place here five days ago, has set tongues wagging in political circles. Mr Verma is a powerful Kurmi leader representing Kaiserganj in the Lok Sabha without any break since 1996, but has found himself increasingly marginalised in the Samajwadi Party.

While it is not exactly known what transpired between the two political leaders, Mr Verma has been dropping hints about his imminent break from the Samajwadi Party. While there are reports that he’s on the verge of launching his own political outfit, the BJP is hoping to enlist his support in an attempt to consolidate its hold among the non-Yadav OBCs. ``By this move, we hope to offset the damage caused by Yogi Adityanath’s decision to field candidates in eastern UP,’’ said a source close to the BJP president. The Gorakhpur MP, he alleged, was playing into the hands of the Samajwadi Party at a time when things had started looking good for the BJP.

Having succeeded in stitching a pre-poll alliance with Kurmi-dominated Apna Dal and the JD(U), the BJP is confident of luring the non-Yadav OBCs. By projecting Mr Kalyan Singh as its chief ministerial candidate, it is hopeful of securing the support of the Lodh Rajputs.

Sources close to the BJP president confirmed that the meeting between the two leaders took place last week. If Mr Verma does indeed offer his backing to the saffron outfit, it’ll make matters worse for the Samajwadi Party, particularly in regions falling in eastern UP and the Nepal border. Mr Verma, however, has been known to be a slippery customer. He has in the past too showed signs of rebellion, but was bought over by the Samajwadi Party leadership in the end by offering him a good deal.