UP Polls: BJP allies seek clarity on seats well ahead of elections

Two smaller NDA allies in Uttar Pradesh-the Nishad Party and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP)-have sought an early seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP ahead of next year's Assembly elections.

At the NDA conclave held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Wednesday, Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad and SBSP president Om Prakash Rajbhar raised the issue with senior BJP leaders and urged them to begin discussions on seat allocation well in advance. The BJP leadership assured them that their demands would be considered.

A day later, both leaders visited the BJP headquarters in Delhi and met BJP president Nitin Nabin. They reiterated their demand for an early seat-sharing formula and also held discussions with BJP general secretary Sunil Bansal, who previously oversaw the party's affairs in Uttar Pradesh. Sources told ET that the allies have been assured of a meeting after June 21, once programmes marking 12 years of the Modi government conclude.


In the 2022 Assembly elections, the Nishad Party contested 16 seats as part of its alliance with the BJP. Six candidates contested on the BJP symbol under a seat-sharing arrangement. The party won 11 seats.

The SBSP contested 19 seats in alliance with the Samajwadi Party and won six. Rajbhar later joined the NDA.