Ahead of 2022, Nishad Party seeks larger share in power from ally BJP

The Nishad Party, an Other Backward Class (OBC) based mostly ally of the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh, has demanded a larger share in power forward of 2022 Assembly polls, even displaying curiosity in the Deputy Chief Minister submit.

Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad, a self-proclaimed ‘political godfather of fishermen,’ has stated the BJP didn’t fulfil the guarantees made by it in 2019, when his social gathering dumped the SP-BSP alliance and converted.

Interacting with reporters in Lucknow on Wednesday, Mr. Nishad issued a warning to the BJP saying that its ally wouldn’t have the ability to win once more in U.P. if it damage the Nishads. “If BJP gives us dukh, they will also get dukh [If the BJP causes us misery, it will also face misery],” he stated. “If they want to come to power, they will have to please the Nishads,” he acknowledged. He claimed that the BJP had promised him that he would both get a Rajya Sabha berth or a high-profile ministerial berth in U.P.

“Our community aspires to have a CM. All other communities have had a CM. My people in their hearts want to see Dr. Sanjay [himself] as a CM. I have given a message to the BJP government that if it makes Dr. Sanjay the new CM or present [me] as a deputy CM face, look how they form the government in 2022,” Mr. Nishad instructed a tv channel right here.

Mr. Nishad later met Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Mr. Maurya described it as a courtesy name.

The Nishads, a riverine group, together with their linked sub-castes Mallah, Kewat, Dheevar, Bind, Kashyap and others, are an vital phase of the non-Yadav backward vote in the State. Among their political icons are bandit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi. The Nishad Party emerged into the political scene forward of the 2017 Assembly polls, projecting itself because the voice of the backward riverine castes with the demand of their inclusion in the Scheduled Caste listing. In 2017, it managed to safe over 5.40 lakh votes in the 72 seats it contested, principally in east U.P., however didn’t open its account.

2018 Gorakhpur win

In 2018, it cast an understanding with the SP and the BSP, serving to the previous win the essential Lok Sabha bypolls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the political fields of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Mr. Maurya respectively. Mr. Nishad’s son Praveen Nishad, an engineer, gained from Gorakhpur on a SP ticket.

Mr. Nishad then resolved to mobilise the “85%” (OBC, Dalits and Muslims) in opposition to the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. However, simply three days after he had prolonged help to the SP-BSP, he walked out of it, accusing the 2 events of not following coalition ‘dharma’ and ignoring his social gathering in official marketing campaign materials and their non-committal angle over seat association.

Eventually, the BJP allotted one seat to the Nishad Party — Sant Kabir Nagar for Mr. Praveen — however he needed to contest on a BJP ticket. He gained.

The father-son duo lately met high BJP leaders, together with Amit Shah and J.P Nadda in Delhi with their calls for, which included “due respect” for the social gathering, scrapping of sure legal guidelines on the Nishad group’s rights on land pattas and issuing SC Majhwar group certificates to the Nishads.

Mr. Nishad claimed the BJP was shedding help among the many Nishads for allegedly ignoring the social gathering throughout bypolls and zilla panchayat polls. He stated he had communicated to Mr. Nadda that the Nishad Party and the BJP had been a “natural alliance.”

Descendants of Nishadraj

The Nishads declare they’re descendants of Nishadraj, the boatman who, as per Puucho beliefs, helped Lord Ram alongside together with his spouse and brother cross the Ganga throughout exile.

“We are the descendants of Nishadraj. Here, a temple is being built for Lord Ram and the government was formed in the name of Lord Ram, but descendants of Nishadraj have to beg on the road, what kind of friendship is this?” he acknowledged.

According to Mr. Nishad, the fisherfolk group has 15,000-20,000 votes in all of the 403 Assembly seats in the State, 40,000-70,000 votes in 70 seats and 160 seats the place they’ve a superb affect.