SBSP steps up activity in Mau to stake claim for bypoll ticket
SBSP chief and UP panchayati Raj minister Om Prakash Rajbhar told TOI that the party has deployed its functionaries at the booth and sector levels to bolster the organisational structure. He said party functionaries of various castes have been stationed in villages to organise 'chaupals' (village meetings). Rajbhar said the party will hold more than two dozen chaupals every day in Mau, which has a sizable population of Rajbhars, who form the party's core vote base.
Rajbhar's focus on chaupals and booth-level mobilisation, especially in a constituency with a strong Rajbhar presence, is being seen as an effort to cement SBSP's status as the voice of non-dominant OBCs while projecting the party as not just a BJP ally, but a grassroots force in its own right. The party, experts said, might also be testing its bargaining power with the BJP, besides increasing its legislative presence and visibility ahead of the 2027 UP elections.
I
nterestingly, the constituency is dominated by Muslims, who comprise around 35% of the total electorate. This voting bloc has traditionally been aligned with the Ansari family for nearly two decades. Mukhtar won the seat twice on a BSP ticket (in 1996 and 2017), twice as an independent (2002 and 2007), and once as a Quami Ekta Dal (QED) candidate in 2012. Mukhtar died in Banda jail following a cardiac arrest in 2024.
His son Abbas won the seat in 2022 on an SBSP ticket, which was then an ally of the Samajwadi Party. He defeated BJP's Ashok Singh by a margin of 48,000 votes. Rajbhar, however, snapped ties and joined the BJP-led NDA in 2023. Rajbhar reiterated that his party was a runner-up in the seat in 2017 and won it in 2022. "Mau has been our constituency. We groomed it for long," Rajbhar asserted. Sources said that Rajbhar's elder son, Arvind, camped in the constituency to oversee the political spadework.
A senior SBSP leader mentioned that Rajbhar seeks to play up the issue of social justice and sub-division of OBC and SC quota. BJP sources, however, said that a formal decision on who would contest the Mau bypoll would be taken after the Election Commission issues the notification for the same. Speculations have been rife that the bypoll may be held along with the Bihar assembly elections later this year.
"The byelection in Mau would be contested by NDA. A broader consensus would be drawn soon," a BJP functionary said, asserting that all poll parameters would be factored in before any decision is taken. Nevertheless, analysts said, the BJP sought to formulate its strategy on the lines of by-polls in the Muslim-dominated Kundarki and Rampur assembly seats, which it won in 2024 and 2022, respectively.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
26 minutes ago
- The Hindu
In a first for Tamil Nadu, 120 low-floor electric buses launched in Chennai
For the first time in Tamil Nadu, low-floor electric buses have been introduced in Chennai. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin flagged off 120 new e-buses from the Vyasarpadi depot as part of Chennai's push for cleaner, safer, and more accessible public transport. These non-air-conditioned, low-floor buses have 39 seats with seat belts, wheelchair ramps, CCTV cameras, emergency alarms, mobile charging points, and real-time LED stop displays. Each bus can travel up to 200 km on a full charge, supported by new charging facilities at the depot. The 120 e-buses cost nearly ₹208 crore and are funded under the Chennai City Partnership: Sustainable Urban Services Programme with World Bank and AIIB support. MTC aims to deploy 625 low-floor electric buses by February 2026. Routes will include Broadway–Kilambakkam, Perambur–Manali, and more. The project also highlights inclusivity, with 20 women among the bus crew. While welcomed as a step toward reducing air pollution, some disability rights groups have raised concerns about wheelchair space in the new design. Reporting: R. Srikanth Video: B. Jothi Ramalingam Editing: Thamodharan B. Script: Shikha Kumari A
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘There is pressure...': Will Sena (UBT) tie up with MNS for BMC polls? Sanjay Raut responds
NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday clarified that there is no formal alliance between Uddhav Thackeray 's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray 's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) yet, but acknowledged growing public sentiment urging both parties to come together for the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra, including the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. "I have not said that Shiv Sena and MNS are contesting (local body) elections together. I said that there is pressure and demand from the public on Shiv Sena and MNS to contest local body elections together. People think that if the rights of 'Marathi Maanus' are to be protected, then Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray must come together.... Raj Thackeray has a different style of working," Raut said. Raut also signalled that the Shiv Sena (UBT) does not plan to contest the upcoming civic elections as part of the INDIA bloc, but instead is open to aligning with the MNS, particularly after their recent show of unity against the imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra schools. He cautioned Raj Thackeray against aligning with the BJP or Eknath Shinde, citing MNS's political setbacks in earlier such tie-ups. The discussion around a possible alliance gained traction after a dramatic political moment earlier this week when Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray shared the stage and a hug at the 'Awaz Marathicha' rally at Mumbai's Worli Dome. The event, organised to protest against the Maharashtra government's move to introduce Hindi as a third language, marked the first public show of unity between the two cousins in nearly 20 years. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giá vàng đang tăng mạnh trong năm 2025 — Các nhà giao dịch thông minh đã tham gia IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo At the rally, Uddhav Thackeray declared, "We have come together to stay together," and hinted at a broader political realignment by stating, "Together we will capture power in Mumbai civic body and Maharashtra." He also slammed the BJP-led Centre for allegedly shifting major institutions and businesses from Mumbai to Gujarat, saying, "You have made all attempts to break the backbone of Maharashtra and continue to do that, and you are asking questions to us. " Raj Thackeray echoed the sentiment, saying the state government's rollback of its language policy was due to the unity shown by the Marathi community. In a veiled dig at the BJP, he remarked, "What Balasaheb could not do, Devendra Fadnavis did it... The work of bringing both of us together." Addressing concerns over imposition of Hindi, Raj Thackeray added, "How did they suddenly bring in the imposition of Hindi without any discussion? For what purpose, and for whom? This is an injustice to young children... You may rule the assembly - but we rule the streets." The rally also saw the brothers jointly garlanding a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a symbolic act marking reconciliation after Raj Thackeray split from the Shiv Sena in 2005 to form the MNS following a succession dispute.
The Hindu
32 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu calls Hindi a binding language amid diversity
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said Hindi is the binding language in his State, where each tribe speaks its own dialect and language. Hindi has been in the school curriculum ever since education came to Arunachal Pradesh and there is no problem in learning it, Khandu told PTI Videos in an interview. There is so much diversity in Arunachal Pradesh that 26 major tribes and over 100 sub-tribes speak their own languages and dialects, the chief minister said. "If I speak in my own dialect, my own language, people from another tribe will not understand. That's why everyone speaks Hindi. There will certainly be grammatical mistakes, but even if you go to a village, all the villagers will understand and speak Hindi. We speak Hindi in election campaigns and even in the Assembly. Also Read: Language of unity: On Maharashtra and the issue of Hindi "So definitely, Hindi is a binding language. There's no problem in learning it. It should be learnt," the BJP leader said in comments that come amidst the ongoing row over Hindi in Maharashtra and some southern states. He said Arunachal Pradesh is a strategic location where security force personnel come from different states and most speak in Hindi. "There is also the Border Roads Organisation. So there are various other mediums through which we picked up Hindi quickly," he said. Asked about the opposition to Hindi in some states, the Chief Minister said everyone has their own mother tongue, every state has its own language, and every tribe has its own too. "That should be given importance. Even I, in my own state, believe the different languages of the tribes should be preserved," he said, referring to his government starting an Indigenous Affairs Department for the promotion and preservation of indigenous languages and culture. CM Khandu said he tells youngsters who go outside the state for their education to speak their own language when they come back home. "Because that is their identity. Because in our country, there are so many communities, different religious groups, different communities, backgrounds. So, preserving one's own language in one's own place is very important," he said.
