Akhilesh ally OP Rajbhar gets 'Y' security after voting for Murmu

Lucknow, Jul 22: A key ally of Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party was given 'Y' security cover on Thursday after he supported NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu in the Presidential election.

 

 

 

Om Prakash Rajbhar, who heads the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), also met Home Minister Amit Shah before the election to choose the 15th President of the country.

 

 

 

Last week, Rajbhar said he decided to break ranks with the opposition after appeals by Shah, Droupadi Murmu herself, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. His move indicated cracks in the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh. The SBSP chief, however, maintained that his party was still in alliance with the Samajwadi Party. "I am still in alliance with the Samajwadi Party. In the presidential election, my party is supporting the NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu," he said. Droupadi Murmu scripted history by becoming India's first tribal president, defeating opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha. Rajbhar, a former BJP ally who switched sides in 2019, earlier said he had sought time with Akhilesh Yadav to discuss the Presidential election and matters related to the alliance. He claimed he got no response from the Samajwadi Party chief. "Akhilesh ji did not think about me or the vote," he said. Om Prakash Rajbhar has been making headlines for a few months now for targeting his alliance partner. He recently accused the Samajwadi Party of "intimidating" Muslims for votes.

 

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"The Samajwadi Party (SP) gets votes of Muslims by intimidating them but when the time comes to give the Muslim community their rights, the party turns its back on them," Rajbhar claimed. In May, he took a dig at Akhilesh Yadav, claiming he had grown too used to "air-conditioned rooms" and needed to step out and meet people more often.