Give more seats or will rethink alliance: UP ally warns BJP ahead of 2027 polls
The warning comes as the Nishad Party seeks more seats for the 2027 election, particularly in constituencies the BJP lost. It contested 16 seats in 2022.
Uttar Pradesh minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad has said he would reconsider his political options if the BJP “shuts its doors” on him, as his party seeks more seats and action on the community’s demands ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
Speaking exclusively to India Today’s sister channel Aaj Tak, Nishad said the BJP ignored the community’s concerns in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and paid the electoral price.
“The BJP did not discuss the Nishad community’s concerns in 2024, and it lost. It did so in 2022 and won,” he said.
His remarks came after his meeting with senior Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey sparked speculation over his ties with the BJP. Nishad said Pandey was an old associate and mentor whom he had visited because he was unwell.
“When two senior leaders meet, discussions are bound to take place. We discussed the murder of Vinod Sahani,” he said.
Nishad kept his political options open. “When the Samajwadi Party shut its doors on me, I joined the BJP. If the BJP shuts its doors, we will have to think about our options,” he said.
He said his party would support whoever addressed the Nishad community’s concerns and helped resolve its pending demands.
The Nishad Party, which contested 16 seats in 2022, is seeking a larger share in 2027, particularly in constituencies where the BJP lost.
“We will help the BJP win the seats it lost. Since I joined the BJP, it has continued to win elections in different states,” Nishad said.
WHY THE NISHAD VOTE MATTERS
The Nishads comprise several riverine communities traditionally associated with fishing, boating, fish-rearing and related occupations. Estimates place them at between five and nine per cent of Uttar Pradesh’s population, with a strong presence in the eastern part of the state.
Nishad leaders claim the community can determine the outcome in around 80 of Uttar Pradesh’s 403 Assembly constituencies and influence more than 160. Its support is central to the BJP’s effort to consolidate non-Yadav OBC voters, particularly in Purvanchal.
The Nishad Party joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance before the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Sanjay Nishad’s son Praveen Nishad joined the BJP and won the Sant Kabir Nagar seat that year.
The alliance continued through the 2022 Uttar Pradesh election despite the Nishad Party repeatedly raising its reservation demand. Sanjay Nishad was subsequently inducted into the Yogi Adityanath government.
The party wants several Nishad subgroups currently classified as OBCs to be included in the Scheduled Caste list. Nishad has repeatedly said the demand remains unresolved despite his party’s continued support for the BJP.