Influential 'Brahmin' leader in Yogi bastion to join Samajwadi Party

In what may turn out to be a shot in the arm of Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav, an influential 'Brahmin' leader from Gorakhpur, the home town of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, is likely to join the former's party in the next few days.

Pandit Hari Shankar Tewari, one of the tallest 'Brahmin' leaders in 'Poorvanchal' (eastern region), who was a six-term MLA in the state assembly from Chillupar seat and hailed from Gorakhpur, and his two sons one of whom was a BSP MLA and another a former MP, could join the SP on Sunday.

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Tewari, a former mafia don, who faced several criminal cases and was once a history-sheeter, wielded considerable influence of the 'Brahmin' community in Gorakhpur and its adjoining districts. Eighty-five-year-old Tewari, a former UP minister, was once the tallest brahmin leader in the region. Tewari stopped contesting polls in 2012.

His son Vinay Shankar Tewari became an MLA from the constituency in 2017 on a BSP ticket. Tewari's other son Bhishma Shankar alias Kushal Tewari was an MP from Sant Kabir Nagar seat in 2007 and 2009 on a BSP ticket.

Both Vinay and Kushal were expelled from the BSP three days back amid speculations that they could switch over to the SP.

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''The Tewari family has considerable influence over Brahmin voters in the region....SP will stand to benefit immensely if it joins hands with Akhilesh Yadav,'' said a Lucknow based political analyst.

The development assumes significance as it comes amid a fit of perceived anger in the electorally influential Brahmin community against the BJP in the state.

BJP was pushed on the defensive after its own leaders had voiced concern over 'persecution' of the Brahmins under the current dispensation. A BJP legislator from Lambhua assembly seat in Sultanpur district Deomani Dwivedi, who hailed from the 'Brahmin' community, had sought to know from the state government about its future plan to ensure the community's security. The legislator also wanted to know about the number of 'brahmins' murdered in the state since the BJP came to power in UP and in how many cases the police were able to arrest the culprits.

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The saffron party, in an apparent bid, to douse the anger had senior Congress leader Jitin Prasada join it and also made him a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.

'Brahmins' who formed around ten per cent of the electorate in the state, were a deciding factor on around a dozen Lok Sabha and over 50 assembly seats.

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