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Nishad Party Chairman and Uttar Pradesh Fisheries Minister Sanjay Nishad. (Picture: X)
Sanjay Nishad urged party workers to campaign in support of the NDA in the upcoming elections and ensure victory in all seats.
The Nishad Party, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, on Friday announced that it will field candidates under its banner in the upcoming by-elections to Majhavan and Kethari assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.
This was announced by the Nishad Party in a statement after its ninth Republic Day celebrations in Lucknow on Friday.
Addressing the event, party president and Uttar Pradesh Fisheries Minister Sanjay Nishad said the party has entered the Assembly 2022 with its symbols in Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar district) and Majhawan (Mirzapur district) elections and will do the same in the upcoming next parliamentary elections.
He also urged party workers to support the NDA in the upcoming elections and ensure victory in all seats.
However, BJP spokesperson Harish Chandra Srivastava told PTI, “The NDA leadership takes decisions for all allies, including where to contest seats. As for by-elections Candidates, NDA leadership has not yet announced a formal decision. By-elections to 10 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh are expected to be held soon but the Election Commission is yet to announce the date.
However, political parties have already started preparations.
The Nishad Party's statement is considered significant as the BJP is yet to finalize its candidates for the by-elections or allot seats to its allies.
In the 2022 assembly elections, the Nishad Party, in alliance with the BJP, fielded Awadhesh Kumar from Katehari, but was defeated by Samajwadi Party (SP) Lalji Verma. Verma was recently elected as the Samajwadi Party MP from Ambedkar Nagar, leaving the Kethari seat vacant.
Similarly, in Majhavan in Mirzapur district, Nishad Party candidate Vinod Kumar Binder defeated Samajwadi Party's Rohit Shukla. Binder was later elected as a BJP MP from Badoshi parliamentary constituency, vacating the Majhavan seat.
Nishad stressed that the party was formed to address issues such as the reservation of the Majewal community and the concerns of the fishing community and remains steadfast on these issues. He said discussions with the Center and state governments on the reservation issue are ongoing and every meeting with the top leadership of the BJP includes talks on the matter.
He further said that his party will launch a signature drive across the state on the reservation issue.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from United News Agency-PTI)
