Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Ritesh Pandey, who resigned from the party, today joined the BJP ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections. This comes at a time when the current BSP Lok Sabha MPs are increasingly uncertain about their ticket prospects with party chief Mayawati saying that the Parliamentarians will have to look for themselves whether they have served the people of their constituencies or not. She underlined that only those MPs who have worked in their constituencies will get tickets again.


Ritesh Pandey A Boost For BJP


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Ritesh Pandey had lunch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament canteen on February 9 and weeks later, he joined the BJP today. He was among the nine MPs of different political parties who had lunch in the Parliament cafeteria during the budget session with PM Modi. It is being said that the BJP may field Ritesh Pandey from his current seat in Ambedkar Nagar. Ritesh Pandey is the son of Rakesh Pandey, who is a legislator from the Samajwadi Party. Rakesh won the seat in 2009 on the BSP ticket. He lost the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and later shifted to the Samajwadi Party and got elected to the UP assembly. Of the last three Parliamentary polls, the BJP won the seat only once in 2014 and the BSP twice - in 2009 and 2019.


If the BJP fields Rakesh Pandey from Ambedkar Nagar, then he stands a chance to get BSP and SP votes as well besides the BJP votes and is likely to emerge as a strong candidate. BJP-led NDA is aiming to win all the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh and has a special focus on 16 seats that it lost in the 2019 polls. Ambedkar Nagar is one of those seats. 



Trouble For BSP


Since several BSP MPs are uncertain about their political future and are reportedly exploring options with other political entities, Mayawati's party is facing potential defections. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BSP secured 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh, making it the second-highest after the BJP. However, current developments suggest a shift in alliances.


Afzal Ansari, the MP from Ghazipur, has already opted for a Samajwadi Party ticket, while Danish Ali, the MP from Amroha, faced suspension from the BSP and is rumoured to be considering joining the Congress, particularly after attending the launch of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Manipur. According to an IE report, several BSP MPs are in touch with parties like BJP, RLD and Samajwadi Party for getting the Lok Sabha tickets. 


Triangular Contest On Cards?


While Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party has already secured an alliance with the Congress for the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is likely to contest the elections in alliance with regional parties like Apna Dal (S), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and Nishad Party. Since the BSP is likely to contest the polls alone, a triangular contest will be on the cards.