BJP Engages in Back-Channel Talks with SP Leader Arvind Chaudhary in Uttar Pradesh
In a significant political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is understood to have initiated back-channel discussions with Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Basti MP Arvind Chaudhary. This move has generated considerable buzz within Uttar Pradesh's political circles as the state gears up for the upcoming assembly elections.
Meeting with CM Yogi Adityanath Sparks Speculation
Chaudhary recently held a meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, an encounter that has drawn attention to the BJP's alleged efforts to attract key opposition figures. When questioned by the media, Arvind Chaudhary described the interaction as a "courtesy meeting" and praised CM Adityanath's leadership, but he declined to provide further details about his future political plans.
Sources indicate that this meeting occurred after Chaudhary had been gradually distancing himself from the Samajwadi Party's core political activities and engagements over recent months.
Strategic Importance of the Kurmi Community
Arvind Chaudhary is the nephew of SP's Basti MP Ram Prasad Chaudhary, both belonging to the Kurmi community. The Kurmis constitute approximately 5% of Uttar Pradesh's population and represent the second-largest Other Backward Class (OBC) group in the state, following the Yadavs.
The BJP has been actively working to consolidate support among Kurmis to counter the influence of the Samajwadi Party and its ally, the Congress. Arvind's increasing alignment with the BJP is viewed as part of a layered consolidation strategy aimed at re-engaging Kurmi voters, who are perceived to have drifted away from the party during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Political Background of the Chaudhary Family
The political journey of the Chaudhary family includes:
- Both Ram Prasad and Arvind were originally with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) before joining the Samajwadi Party in 2020.
- Arvind Chaudhary was elected as the MP from Basti in 2009 on a BSP ticket, defeating SP's Raj Kishore Singh by a substantial margin of over 1 lakh votes.
- In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati replaced Arvind with Ram Prasad, who lost to BJP's Harish Dwivedi by more than 70,000 votes.
- Ram Prasad faced another defeat in 2019 but successfully reclaimed the Basti seat in 2024, defeating Harish Dwivedi by a margin of 1 lakh votes.
BJP's Broader Kurmi Outreach Strategy
Re-engaging influential Kurmi leaders like Arvind Chaudhary is seen not merely as an individual recruitment effort but as a symbolic gesture to reassure the community, particularly in the eastern regions of Uttar Pradesh. This development follows other strategic moves by the BJP to strengthen its Kurmi connections:
- Appointment of Union minister and seven-term Maharajganj MP Pankaj Chaudhary as the new state unit president.
- Consolidation of the alliance with Anupriya Patel's Apna Dal (S), a party predominantly supported by Kurmis, which has been a key component of the BJP's political framework since 2014.
These actions underscore the BJP's comprehensive approach to building a robust political structure in Uttar Pradesh, leveraging community-based strategies to enhance its electoral prospects ahead of the assembly polls.
