<p>Lucknow: The tussle between two powerful <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/bjp">BJP</a> leaders Sanjeev Balyan, a ‘Jat’ and Sangeet Som, a ‘Thakur’, from western <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/uttar-pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</a> escalated in the run-up to the Assembly elections slated for 2027, with one of them vowing to ‘exact’ revenge for his ‘defeat’ in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which he attributed to the other.</p><p>Speaking at an event organized on the occasion of unveiling of the statue of iconic ’Jat’ leader Maharaja Surajmal in Meerut on Sunday, Balyan said that he had not ‘forgotten’ his ‘humiliation’ and would ‘exact revenge with interest’.</p><p>‘’I am not someone who forgets humiliation ... .Remind me of the same if I forget,’’ Balyan told the gathering, which was attended by a large number of ‘Jat’ leaders from different parts of the country.</p>.Fierce contest for downfall between rupee and BJP's image: Akhilesh Yadav.<p>Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann was also among those present at the meeting.</p><p>Although Balyan did not take names, it was clear that he was referring to Sangeet Som, an influential ‘Thakur’ leader from the region and his bitter rival.</p><p>The differences between Som and Balyan had surfaced during the 2022 assembly polls in the state when the former accused the latter of ‘conspiring’ to ‘defeat’ him from Sardhana assembly seat.</p><p>Som openly campaigned against Balyan, who was the BJP nominee from Muzaffarnagar LS seat in the 2024 general elections. Balyan lost the election to the rival Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate. Balyan publicly held Som responsible for his defeat.</p><p>The rivalry between these two leaders is certain to give the saffron party a headache ahead of the next year’s assembly poll in the state. Senior state BJP leaders said that the party leadership must ‘intervene’ to resolve the issue. ‘’Their rivalry could hurt us badly in the western region,’’ said a senior UP BJP leader.</p>
<p>Lucknow: The tussle between two powerful <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/bjp">BJP</a> leaders Sanjeev Balyan, a ‘Jat’ and Sangeet Som, a ‘Thakur’, from western <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/uttar-pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</a> escalated in the run-up to the Assembly elections slated for 2027, with one of them vowing to ‘exact’ revenge for his ‘defeat’ in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which he attributed to the other.</p><p>Speaking at an event organized on the occasion of unveiling of the statue of iconic ’Jat’ leader Maharaja Surajmal in Meerut on Sunday, Balyan said that he had not ‘forgotten’ his ‘humiliation’ and would ‘exact revenge with interest’.</p><p>‘’I am not someone who forgets humiliation ... .Remind me of the same if I forget,’’ Balyan told the gathering, which was attended by a large number of ‘Jat’ leaders from different parts of the country.</p>.Fierce contest for downfall between rupee and BJP's image: Akhilesh Yadav.<p>Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann was also among those present at the meeting.</p><p>Although Balyan did not take names, it was clear that he was referring to Sangeet Som, an influential ‘Thakur’ leader from the region and his bitter rival.</p><p>The differences between Som and Balyan had surfaced during the 2022 assembly polls in the state when the former accused the latter of ‘conspiring’ to ‘defeat’ him from Sardhana assembly seat.</p><p>Som openly campaigned against Balyan, who was the BJP nominee from Muzaffarnagar LS seat in the 2024 general elections. Balyan lost the election to the rival Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate. Balyan publicly held Som responsible for his defeat.</p><p>The rivalry between these two leaders is certain to give the saffron party a headache ahead of the next year’s assembly poll in the state. Senior state BJP leaders said that the party leadership must ‘intervene’ to resolve the issue. ‘’Their rivalry could hurt us badly in the western region,’’ said a senior UP BJP leader.</p>