"If BJP Fails, It Will Also Be Voted Out": UP Minister On Nishad Reservation

The BJP has been warned, and by one of their own, that it could lose Uttar Pradesh.

Sanjay Nishad, an ally and a Minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, has warned the BJP.

"The 'Elephant' (BSP), 'Bicycle' (SP), and 'Hand' (Congress) ignored the demand, leading to their ouster from power. If the BJP also fails to heed this appeal, it too will be voted out of office," Nishad, who is the Fisheries Minister in the state and the chief of NISHAD (Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal) Party, declared with a flourish at his party's 11th foundation day in Lucknow on Sunday.

He spotlighted that "our ancestors secured the country's Independence and ensured the drafting of the Constitution", making a case for reservation for his community.

The 61-year-old leader urged state Transport Minister Daya Shankar Singh, who was sharing the stage with him, to take up the reservation demand with the BJP government.

"We want reservation and the BJP government must implement it. I want Transport Minister Daya Shankar Singh to take up this issue with the BJP government before it is too late," Nishad said.

#BREAKING | UP Minister Sanjay Nishad's remark on reservation stokes row ahead of polls

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He urged his cadres to "strengthen the party and prepare their own booths".

"I am your lawyer and the BJP is the judge, but reservation has to be given," he underlined.

Samajwadi Party played down the Minister's warning, claiming that he is putting on an act.

"Sanjay Nishad is putting on an act. He has been with the BJP for 10 years and speaks about reservation. Why is Sanjay Nishad clinging to power? Why does he remain a minister? Fakhrul Hasan Chand, Samajwadi Party spokesperson, told NDTV.

Earlier in March, Sanjay Nishad said his party's alignment with the BJP for the 2027 elections was centred on the core issue of reservation.

The Minister acknowledged the BJP's efforts in honouring the community's heritage and creating a separate fisheries ministry, but added that it now up to the ruling party to prove its commitment by fulfilling the community's primary demand of reservation.

"I was with the Samjawadi Party. They closed the door on me, so I had to leave. They did not raise even a single question on my issue of reservation. The issue of reservation is my party's priority," he had said in March.

Uttar Pradesh, the key Hindi heartland state where the BJP is hoping to get a hat-trick of wins, goes to polls early next year.