In a huge setback to BSP supremo Mayawati, Dalit leader Chandrashekhar alias Ravan has lent his support to Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance in Uttar Pradesh.
Chandrashekhar is also campaigning for the alliance nominee from Khatauli, and his presence is expected to have an electoral impact in the western region of Uttar Pradesh.
Chandrashekhar, who commands considerable influence over the dalit community in the western districts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Meerut, Baghpat and some others, shared the stage with RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary at an election meeting at Khatauli on Sunday.
According to the sources, Chandrashekhar would also be campaigning for the SP candidates in the Assembly bypoll to Rampur seat, which was considered to be a stronghold of senior SP leader Azam Khan.
Jayant hinted that Chandrashekhar would also be a part of the alliance in the state in the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024. "Our alliance will not be confined to Khatauli seat....we will demolish all electoral calculations from Khatauli to Delhi (centre)," he said.
According to the political analysts here, Chandrashekhar's entry into the SP-RLD alliance could pose problems for Mayawati. "Any shift in the allegiance of the dalits, who are in sizable numbers on several seats in the western UP region will certainly dent Mayawati's vote bank," said a Lucknow based political analyst while speaking to DH.
UP would be witnessing by-polls to two Assembly seats and Mainpuri LS seat, where SP president Akhilesh Ydaav's wife Dimple Yadav was locked in a straight fight with BJP's Raghuraj Singh Shakya. The by-poll to the seat was necessitated after SP founder and sitting MP Mulayam Singh Yadav's death.
Published 29 November 2022, 13:34 IST