Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, the so-called rebel within the NDA and serving as a Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister, is a known face among the Most Backward Classes (MBC) in the state as well as in Bihar. He was a staunch cadre of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in his early days in politics and even became the Varanasi district president of BSP as he was a close associate of late Kanshi Ram. He floated his own party in 2002 when the BSP denied him an assembly ticket for the third time after losing twice earlier.
Thereafter, his SBSP became a known party of the MBCs, particularly the Rajbhars in eastern Uttar Pradesh. A two-time MLA from the Zahurabad assembly seat, Rajbhar, in 2017, became a minister in the then Yogi Adityanath government. But before the 2022 polls, he joined the Samajwadi Party alliance and won six seats. However, he switched sides again in 2024 before the Lok Sabha polls, and subsequently became a minister in the Yogi 2.0 government. He advocates for a change in the reservation system and has demanded a quota for the Most Backwards, and also supports prohibition. The SBSP chief talked to The Statesman’s Manoj Bhadra on his party’s plan in the upcoming Bihar polls.
Q: SBSP worked a lot in Bihar in the past and held several rallies to mobilize the most backwards. But the NDA ignored your party and did not give even a single seat in the alliance. Now, what will you do in the Bihar assembly polls?
A: Senior BJP leaders, including party president J P Nadda and Amit Shah, had assured us at least four to five seats in Bihar. But we were shocked with their volte-face. They denied us seats despite knowing our popularity among the most backward (like Rajbhars and Prajapatis). Now the BJP has thrown the ball into our court, and we have decided to contest the elections alone in 153 seats or forge an alliance. When the NDA needed support during the bypolls in Bihar, they came with folded hands. But now, when the time came to stand by us, they forgot. We even met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Nadda, and Vinod Tawde to present our plans. Still, nothing moved. So, we decided to stand on our own feet. Over the last year, the SBSP conducted 42 rallies in Bihar and constituted units in 32 districts. The SBSP has also mobilized Dalits and extremely backward communities (EBCs). We will show our strength in the upcoming assembly elections. If our front hurts the prospects of the NDA, it won’t be my fault. Of the 243 assembly seats in Bihar, my party has been working on 153 seats. Of the 121 assembly seats going to the polls in the first phase on November 6, the SBSP will field candidates for 52 seats.
Q: It is being said that, like in the 2020 elections in Bihar, SBSP can contest the polls in alliance with like-minded parties. Do you agree?
A: Talks are underway with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Bhagidari Party (Prajapati), and other smaller parties to form an alliance for the Bihar assembly elections. In the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, we were part of the Grand Democratic Secular Front (GDSF) along with the BSP, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Samajwadi Janata Dal (SJD), and Janvadi Party Socialist (JPS). The alliance won six seats – five by AIMIM and one by BSP. However, this time, most parties are contesting the polls independently. We have worked very hard in Bihar for the past two years, particularly in those assembly segments where the population of Rajbhar, Prajapati, Rajvanshi, and other similar communities has a good presence. These are the seats in Madhepur, Jahanabad, Siwan, Gaya, Nawada, and other districts of Bihar.
Q: Will you go to Bihar for campaigning? What will be your strategy in the two-phase assembly polls?
A: So far, 22 SBSP leaders led by Arun Rajbhar are camping in Bihar for the nomination process of the candidates, while I will personally launch the campaign after the Diwali festival. Our main plank in these elections will be, first, education for the poor, employment for the Dalits and the most backwards, and demand for respect. For 70 years, parties have taken your votes but never given you representation. Now, we are offering an alternative, one that speaks your language and understands your struggle. We will fight for land, education, employment, and dignity. The people of Bihar deserve both opportunity and respect, but they have been denied this in the past. You will be surprised to know that no persons of the Rajbhar, Prajapati, Rajvanshi, or Majhi communities have been elected MLAs in Bihar so far, so how can anyone expect their voices in the government? Besides, in several places, their communities are being identified as Paswan, which is also wrong. SBSP has already announced that it would raise issues such as land allotment for the landless, education, and employment to check migration in the state.
Q: Now talking about Uttar Pradesh. Will the emergence of Mohammad Azam Khan have any political impact on state politics during the upcoming 2027 assembly polls?
A: Senior SP leader Azam Khan is reportedly not comfortable with the Samajwadi Party leadership ahead of the 2027 assembly elections in UP and may float a front with AIMIM and regional parties. It is my hunch that Khan will not align with the SP in the next assembly polls in the state and will float a new political outfit, which may even have an understanding with the BSP or the Congress.
Q: Recently, the BSP held a big rally in Lucknow on the death anniversary of late Kanshi Ram. As you were with the BSP in the past, what is your reaction to Mayawati’s rally, and will it impact SP or the Azad Samaj Party of Chandrashekhar?
A: The BSP’s show of strength in its October 9 rally has been a major setback for the SP’s PDA formula. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the SP secured Dalit and EBC votes due to the reservation issue and BSP’s failure to mobilize its cadre. The large turnout in the recent rally has motivated the BSP cadre, while national convenor Akash Anand has emerged as the youth face of the party. The BSP’s re-emergence will also impact Azad Samaj Party (ASP) chief Chandrashekhar Azad in expanding the Dalit base in UP. SP is banking on Dalit votes like they got in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in UP, but in 2027 such a thing will not happen as BSP will retain its vote bank, and with just the votes of Yadavs and Muslims, Akhilesh Yadav cannot even dream of becoming the chief minister again.
Q: Lastly, you are a Panchayati Raj minister in the UP government and Panchayat elections will be held in early 2026. What is your party’s game plan in this so-called semi-final before the assembly polls?
A: SBSP will contest the panchayat elections alone . But I think panchayat elections will have no such impact on the assembly polls as the elected members of the panchayats will change sides before the assembly polls. Besides, panchayat polls will create political churning in the villages, and hence political parties will keep themselves away from any controversy that can impact their prospects in the assembly polls.