Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad
Lucknow: Nishad Party president and Uttar Pradesh fisheries minister Dr Sanjay Nishad on Wednesday signalled that the party would review its alliance with BJP for the 2027 assembly elections, saying any decision would be taken only after consulting the core committee and seeking feedback from party workers and supporters across all 75 districts of the state. Nishad Party has been part of the BJP-led alliance in Uttar Pradesh since 2019.
Addressing supporters at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi during the party’s ‘Delhi Chalo’ programme, Nishad said the party’s growing influence had become a concern for both its current ally, BJP, and former ally, Samajwadi Party. “Both want the Nishad Party on their side,” he said. “The day the BJP closes its door on that demand, we will be free to pursue our cause independently,” he said, adding that while the party was prepared to wait “until the very last moment”, it would not “betray our community” if a final deadline passed without a decision. With BJP in power both at the Centre and in the state, Nishad said the ruling party should take a decision soon, asserting that “a community which reaches Delhi to make its voice heard is awakened”. He also revived allegations that his son, Pravin Nishad, was “deliberately defeated” in the Sant Kabir Nagar Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 elections with the help of “insiders”, and warned of similar tactics being used against his younger son, Chauri Chaura MLA Shravan Nishad, in 2027.
Nishad linked the alliance question to the party’s demand for reservation benefits, stating that he would wait for BJP’s response on granting the Nishad community reservation under the Scheduled Caste category in Uttar Pradesh.