By Pradeep Kapoor
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav has appointed Seema Rajbhar national president of women wing of the party to make inroad in powerful backward Rajbhar community in Uttar Pradesh on the eve of the state assembly elections in 2027.
This step of Akhilesh Yadav is being interpreted as a masterstroke to win over Rajbharbhar community which has significant presence in over 150 assembly constituencies of eastern UP.
According to social justice Committee report of 2001,Rajbhar community has presence of 2.5 per cent in the population.
But this community has good presence in 24 districts of eastern UP including Gorakhpur, Ghazipur, Mai, Ghosi, Ambedkar and others.
Samajwadi Party has realised that it should make dent in the Suheldev Bhartiya Samajwadi Party of Om Prakash Rajbhar to gain influence in eastern UP. Omprakash had earlier allied with BJP and contested the assembly polls.
But he left NDA in 2019 and joined hands with Samajwadi Party and contested assembly polls in 2022 which gave him six seats out of total 16 candidates fielded by the party in alliance with Samajwadi Party. Om Parkash Rajbhar may have won six seats but damaged BJP in many seats and helped Samajwadi Party in eastern UP.
In order to make dent in the support base of OM Prakash Rajbhar Akhilesh Yadav brought Seema Rajbhar from his party and elevated her to national President of women wing by replacing Juhi Singh who belongs to powerful thakur community.
With this move Akhilesh wants to strengthen his PDA and extend the support base beyond muslim- Yadav combination and bring more backward castes and communities to Samajwadi Party.
Majority of the senior leaders from Rajbhar community also realise the the influence of Om Prakash Rajbhar is on decline, they prefer to join hands with Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party which is not only main opposition but also senior partner of INDIA alliance.
Seema Rajbhar is a good leader who has the experience of working with Om Prakash Rajbhar. Akhilesh Yadav expects her to make inroads in Rajbhar community and increase the support base of Samajwadi Party.
Now Seema Rajbhar, who has been given the responsibility as national President of women wing, has to prove herself by mobilising the support for Samajwadi Party.
Soon after taking over head of women wing of Samajwadi Party Seema Rajbhar launched attack on Om Prakash Rajbhar for ignoring the genuine issues of the community. She promised that she would make all efforts to strengthen the party and work in the interest of her community to make PDA strong. (IPA Service)
