Raja Bhaiya confirmed to the media that he, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Shivpal Yadav and Uma Shankar Singh were part of the dinner hosted by Adityanath.
In what made chinks in the opposition camp after the Uttar Pradesh poll debacle more evident, Samajwadi Party ally Om Prakash Rajbhar and Akhilesh’s Yadav estranged uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav on Friday attended a dinner hosted by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in honour of NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu in Lucknow.
Muscleman-politician and Jansatta Dal Loktantrik chief Raghuraj Pratap Singh, also known as Raja Bhaiya, and the lone BSP MLA in Uttar Pradesh, Uma Shankar Singh, were also present at the CM's official residence, according to sources in the CM office.
Raja Bhaiya also confirmed to the media that he, Rajbhar, Shivpal Yadav and Uma Shankar Singh were part of the dinner.
A day ago, SBSP chief Rajbhar did not attend a press conference held by Akhilesh and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary in support of Yashwant Sinha, the opposition’s joint candidate for the presidential polls. Rajbhar had claimed he was not invited to the press meet.
Rajbhar’s presence at the CM’s dinner for Murmu came hours after he told mediapersons that he was “waiting for divorce from the SP”. “I will not initiate any step to end the alliance with the SP. I will wait to be divorced (talaq) by Akhilesh Yadav,” Rajbhar told PTI before leaving for his party meeting in neighbouring Mau district.
Rajbhar also said he is “still with the Samajwadi Party, but will not remain together forcefully if Akhilesh Yadav doesn’t want it.”
Rajbhar, a former BJP ally, said the SBSP will make public its decision on the presidential polls on July 12. But his presence at the dinner hosted by Adityanath indicates his inclination towards the NDA nominee.
Shivpal Yadav, whose relationship with his nephew Akhilesh Yadav is strained after the UP polls results, has been meeting Adityanath and attacking the SP chief on several issues.
Though not aligned with either ruling or opposition camp, Raja Bhaiya's presence in the dinner shows his preference for the presidential polls.
The presence of BSP MLA Uma Shankar Singh in the dinner reconfirms Mayawati's announcement of support to Murmu, who is a woman and also hails from Scheduled Tribes.
Rajbhar's party has six MLAs in the UP assembly. He had fought the recent Uttar Pradesh assembly polls as a partner of SP-led opposition grouping.
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 "Left to Right - Om Prakash Rajbhar, Shivpal Yadav, Raja Bhaiya")
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