UP elections 2017: 80 Opposition MLAs keen to join BJP

An emissary of a Samajwadi Party MLA met a BJP leader in Kashi recently with a message that he along with five others wanted to join the party. The leader said some BSP MLAs were also in touch.

BJP leaders claim that the trend is growing in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, and around 80 MLAs, half of whom are from the BSP, have indicated their willingness to join the BJP. Of these, the BJP is considering accepting into its fold around 20-25 legislators, sources said.
The party, which has opened its doors to leaders from parties like the BSP and SP, is planning to field them in seats where the BJP has never won, the sources said adding that there were around 75 seats where it was weak. However, with the party leadership insisting on fielding untainted candidates, as the BJP makes corruption and goonda raj key planks in the election, the state unit would have to ensure that the leaders entering the fray have an unblemished record.

Those keen on moving into the BJP are mostly Brahmins and OBCs. The last senior leader to join the party was Brajesh Pathak, a former BSP MP and a Brahmin face. Sources said some other Brahmin leaders in the BSP had also hinted to him their willingness to join the BJP. The upper caste leaders and OBCs in the BSP fear that Mayawati's party would have the support only of the Dalits.

"A large number of leaders from other parties like BSP and SP are in touch with the BJP. This shows that they want to jump from a sinking ship and join the BJP bandwagon," said BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh.

While the party is counting on the outsiders to fill in the gaps where the BJP has not been able to capture enough votes, there is a section which would prefer that the strategy for the 2017 assembly election depended on its own leaders.

The turncoats are giving the BJP hopes that sitting MLAs and tall leaders joining the party was indicative of a trend that the mood was favourable for it. At the same time, it would weaken the opponents, a leader said.

Besides Pathak, among those who have already joined the BJP from BSP are Swamy Prasad Maurya and RK Maurya, both OBCs. The BJP was targeting the votes of the non-Yadav backward classes apart from the upper castes and non-Jatav Dalits.