The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were on the opposite ends of the spectrum in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls of 2022. While the BJP won 253 seats by itself, the BSP was able to win only one. BSP’s chances of winning have declined over the past decade and a half. It was in power in the state at that time, while in 2022, it fell to a new low. BJP, on the other hand, won the second term in a row with an absolute majority.

While there are many points to be taken from the trajectories of these two parties, several different perspectives have been recently shared by Om Prakash Rajbhar, the president of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party. Rajbhar, whose party won six seats in these legislative assembly elections, has alleged illegal cooperation between the BJP and BSP prior to and during these elections. He also added that he had evidence to back these claims. His party, the SBSP, was in alliance with Akhilesh Yadav- led Samajwadi Party (SP) in these elections. As a result, the SP emerged as the second-largest party in these polls.

The allegation

OP Rajbhar has alleged that the two parties, BJP and BSP, were in a secret alliance that extended to the 122 seats in Purvanchal. He said that Mayawati had made this secret deal for tickets in parts of East UP. Rajbhar has also accused the Congress party of helping the BJP. Rajbhar raised questions on the number of votes that significant parties such as Congress and BSP won. His statements indicated that the vote bank of these parties was covertly handed over to the BJP. “There are 122 seats in Purvanchal on which candidates were decided at the BJP office… I can give evidence for this. The parties in power four times — be it the BSP or the Congress — supported the BJP. Where did their votes go?” ANI quoted him as saying.

Rajbhar said he wouldn’t believe the election results until he reviewed the parties’ performance assembly-wise.

Rajbhar and his electoral history

It may be surprising to learn that Rajbhar was a member of the BJP in the 2017 elections when he contested. However, he later parted ways with the party. He has contested the elections in alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav led SP.

It is not the first time he has blamed the BJP for foul play in the elections. He had some words to say against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as well. He accused Yogi of wanting him dead once he left the party. “Yogi Ji wants to get me killed. Goons of BJP and Yogi were sent there in black coats,” he was quoted as saying by the ANI.