LUCKNOW: After meeting BJP president Amit Shah, sulking NDA ally Suheldeo Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP)chief Om Prakash Rajbhar has assured the saffron party support in the biennial Rajya Sabha elections. Rajbhar met Shah in the national Capital after which the BJP chief acceded to visit Lucknow on April 10 to sort out issues concerning allies in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Rajbhar is learnt to have told Shah that he should be accessible to the leaders of the NDA alliance partners. He told reporters after the meeting that all his grievances had been addressed by Shah. He announced the support of four MLAs of his party for the BJP nominees in the Rajya Sabha elections.
In the wake of the recent Lok Sabha bypoll debacle, Shah is likely to hold meetings with allies during his visit to Lucknow, including with the Apna Dal faction led by Union Minister Anupriya Patel, besides state BJP functionaries.
“The BJP chief will sort out the issue of lack of access of key BJP leadership in the state, besides Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the leaders of the alliance partners,” sources said.Shah’s visit to Lucknow on April 10 will be his first after the BJP lost Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls. The BJP also has to face the Kairana Lok Sabha bypolls soon.