Mahan Dal president Keshav Dev Maurya on April 2 declared unconditional support to the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh. Mr. Maurya vowed that his party is ready to make any sacrifice in the ongoing fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in favour of backwards, Dalits and minorities.
“At this time, only the SP and Akhilesh Yadavji are fighting for safeguarding interests of Dalit, backward and minorities in Uttar Pradesh with full strength and dedication. At this time, we all have only one objective, to oust the anti-Dalit, anti-backward, anti-minority BJP from power and in this fight, we are together with the SP,” said Mr. Maurya after a meeting with the SP president in Lucknow.
Targeting the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) and the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) alliance, Mr. Maurya alleged the proposed front is working behind the scenes to strengthen the BJP.
“A third front is going to be formed in Uttar Pradesh and its purpose is to prevent the votes that are not in favour of the BJP government from going to SP, so that it becomes easier for the BJP to win the elections. No matter how much all these small parties speak against the BJP, they are working behind the scenes to strengthen the BJP,” he alleged.
It is likely that the SP will allocate two seats to the Mahan Dal for the Lok Sabha polls but the candidates will fight on the SP symbol.
Founded in 2008, the Mahan Dal failed to taste any electoral success but it is considered to enjoy support among some sections of OBCs such as Mauryas, Shakyas and Kushwahas in Uttar Pradesh. The party led by Mr. Maurya had earlier in June 2023 announced unconditional support to the BSP for the upcoming election after the party’s workers meet in Lucknow but took a contrary stand just before the polls.
In the 2022 State Assembly polls, the Mahan Dal was a part of the SP-led alliance but failed to make any successful mark at the hustings.
