It is probable that Sangeeta Azad, the MP for the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) from the Lalganj constituency, and Azad Ari Mardan, the former MLA of the party, will join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prior to the Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the MP met in the nation’s capital earlier today. It is believed that the action is a component of the BJP’s plan to fortify its organization in the Purvanchal area. For the BJP, the Purvanchal region is crucial because it encompasses cities like Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, and so on. In addition to its spiritual importance, Ayodhya is the hub of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which propelled the party to prominence. Since Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister, personally represents Gorakhpur.
In the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, Sangeeta Azad was pitted against BJP’s sitting MP Neelam Sonkar and the former won by a huge margin of 61,000 votes.
Meanwhile, Mayawati’s BSP has lost many MPs. Earlier, the party supremo expelled its Amroha MP, Danish Ali, for engaging in “anti-party” activities.
BSP MP from the Jaunpur constituency, Shyam Singh Yadav, also met with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently.
The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held in 2024.
While Mayawati has indicated that her party will contest the polls alone, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, which holds a significant share in the Purvanchal region, has a pact with the newly established INDIA bloc.