LUCKNOW: Ram Lalla emerged as a decisive factor behind the victory of BJP's eighth candidate Sanjay Seth in Rajya Sabha elections held in UP on Tuesday, despite the odds stacked against the party. Seven SP MLAs broke ranks and voted for BJP candidates, paving the way for Seth's win. Seth secured 29 first preference votes, while SP's third candidate, former IAS officer Alok Ranjan, received only 19.
BJP's strategy to identify these seven SP legislators was orchestrated by key figures from govt, including CM Yogi Adityanath, and ministers Suresh Khanna and JPS Rathore, along with top party leaders such as state party chief Bhupendra Chaudhary and general secretary (organisation) Dharampal.
The task became straightforward as BJP honed in on SP MLAs who had publicly supported the consecration of Ram Lalla's idol at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Jan 22. "Those MLAs who, despite the party's silence on the issue, had strongly supported the consecration event. All of them were approached and many of them reciprocated," said a BJP leader.
Among the identified SP legislators were Rakesh Pratap Singh, Abhay Singh, Vinod Chaturvedi, and Manoj Pandey. After the RS election results were announced, Abhay Singh tweeted: "Voting has been done in a transparent manner. We have voted on our will. After the Ram Temple was opened, the Assembly Speaker invited all MLAs for darshan, but SP stopped its legislators. This was not right." Similarly, Jansatta Dal founder Raghuraj Pratap Singh's vocal support for PM Modi and CM Yogi after the consecration ceremony made him an accessible target for BJP leaders seeking support.
Similarly, Jansatta Dal founder Raghuraj Pratap Singh’s vocal support for PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi after the consecration ceremony made him an accessible target for BJP leaders seeking support. Singh, also known as Raja Bhaiya, played pivotal roles in contacting potential defectors from SP and securing their allegiance to BJP.
The efficient identification of vulnerable MLAs made the process of winning over SP legislators remarkably swift, taking less than a week from initial contact to cross-voting, sources said.
While acknowledging the instrumental roles played by top UP BJP leaders and Raja Bhaiya in convincing some MLAs to switch sides, sources emphasised the symbolic significance of Lord Ram in identifying the susceptible MLAs within the SP camp.