Latest news with #SanjayNishad
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Uttar Pradesh NDA allies ramp up quota demands ahead of 2027 polls
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Despite the next assembly election still some time away, NDA allies in Uttar Pradesh have stepped up demands around reservation to assert their Party leader and minister Sanjay Nishad warned that excluding the Nishad community from the SC reservation list could harm the alliance's 2027 poll prospects. He said that if major issues like Ram Mandir and Article 370 have been addressed, extending SC status to Nishads should not be leader and minister Om Prakash Rajbhar also demanded that the Rohini Commission report on OBC sub-categorisation be implemented in UP. "Only a few castes corner the entire 27% OBC quota . The SC has allowed quota within quota . Haryana has done it-why not UP?" he told ET, adding that he has flagged the issue to CM Yogi Adityanath and plans to meet Union Home Minister Amit is also eyeing the Mau Sadar seat, now vacant after his party MLA Abbas Ansari was convicted. He wants the seat for his son Arvind Rajbhar. "After Muslims, Rajbhars form the largest group-about 80,000-in Mau Sadar. We will contest it," he Dal's Ashish Patel has also raised issues with the state government recently, adding to signs of friction within the alliance.
India Today
09-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Why NISHAD Party has joined BJP's list of uneasy allies in UP
After recent tensions from the Apna Dal (S), which fuelled speculation about its future in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), another BJP ally in Uttar Pradesh has begun to flex its Nishad, the state's fisheries minister and chief of the Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Party, has issued a warning that unless the BJP-led government delivers on its promise to grant Scheduled Caste (SC) status to the fisherfolk community, his party may have to reconsider support in the assembly elections in fisherfolk community is currently classified under Other Backward Classes (OBCs).The NISHAD Party has made its intent clear by putting up a hoarding in front of Sanjay Nishad's official residence in Lucknow, openly demanding SC reservation for the Nishad has claimed rival parties are already making inroads over the issue. He says the Samajwadi Party (SP) has been quick to sense the discontent among fisherfolk and is working to increase its reach in these pockets, even managing to secure notable support in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. He also points out that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has begun holding cadre meetings in fisherfolk-dominated the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, this growing unease of late among allies is more than a routine tussle over seat-sharing in polls. It affects the party's core social engineering strategy in the state and could complicate election strategies for year, the NISHAD Party launched a yatra that covered more than 200 assembly constituencies across Uttar Pradesh, pressing for SC status for 17 sub-castes, namely Manjhi, Kahar, Kashyap, Kewat, Mallah, Rakwar, Dhivar, Bind, Dhimar, Batham, Turha, Godiya, Manjhi, Machuwa, Mujabir, Gond and Rajgond. The effort was widely seen as an attempt to expand influence into western Uttar Pradesh, where the party has historically been has been speculation about tensions between the two allies ever since the decision not to give the Majhawan bypoll ticket to the NISHAD Party last year. The party had won the seat in 2022, but MLA Vinod Kumar Bind vacated it to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Bhadohi on a BJP ticket. When the by-election was announced, the BJP fielded its candidate, Suchismita Maurya, who NISHAD Party had also lobbied for Katehari, a constituency with a significant concentration of NISHAD voters. However, the BJP fielded its own nominee, Dharmaraj Nishad. According to NISHAD Party insiders, these developments contributed to the decision to organise the yatra to indicate strength on the ground and gain a stronger bargaining position for the 2027 polls. In the assembly elections in 2022, the NISHAD Party had fielded candidates on 10 seats, winning six. Six more party candidates contested on the BJP symbol; of them, five won. The alliance helped the NDA deepen its reach among fisherfolk and other OBC NISHAD Party, founded in 2016 by Sanjay Nishad, has grown into a significant political voice for the riverine OBC communities in Uttar Pradesh. Its strongest base lies in central and eastern Uttar Pradesh, in regions such as Gorakhpur, Basti, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Prayagraj and Nishad community itself is a cluster of around 22 sub-castes. Together, they make up roughly 12-18 per cent of the state's OBC population. Since OBCs as a whole account for over 50 per cent of people of Uttar Pradesh, the Nishads hold significant importance in the state's politics. Their presence is particularly strong along the Ganga and Yamuna river basins, giving them influence in about 37 of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies and 160 out of the 403 assembly these communities depend on fishing, boating, sand mining and farming along riverbanks. Their large numbers and economic struggles have made them an attractive vote-bank for parties trying to widen their reach beyond the dominant Yadav NISHAD Party formally joined the NDA in 2019, just before the Lok Sabha elections that year, with the BJP promising to address its demands. Ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, BJP president J.P. Nadda again confirmed the partnership. Since then, the NISHAD Party has stayed on, with Sanjay Nishad even describing the BJP as 'elder brother'.However, the BJP now faces the tough task of meeting the NISHAD Party's demand for SC status for fisherfolk. Legal hurdles, political risks and social complexities make it difficult to deliver on Sanjay Nishad's ultimatum. While sources suggest that the BJP is thinking about building its own leadership from within the Nishad community, with pressure growing from allies and rivals alike, it is unlikely that the BJP would risk losing the NISHAD Party for the moment. At the same time, how it manages to keep Sanjay Nishad and his vote base content will be a test in to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘If Nishads don't get SC quota soon, BJP may face difficulties in 2027 polls': UP Minister
WHEN THE BJP can resolve all difficult issues – be it Article 370 or building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya – what is holding it back from providing Scheduled Caste (SC) reservation to the Nishad community, the ruling party's ally and Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Nishad told The Indian Express. The state Fisheries Minister, who is also the NISHAD Party chief, said the BJP should fulfil the long-pending demand soon or it may face 'difficulties' in the 2027 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The Nishads, a boating and fishing community, are currently counted among the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state. 'The thing is that the BJP has found solutions to all difficult issues, be it Article 370 or 10 per cent upper caste reservation (for the economically backward in general category) even when it was not promised in the Constitution, women reservation and even on the topic of faith i.e. construction of Ram Temple. So what is keeping it from fulfilling its promise to the fishermen community?' said Nishad. The minister said the BJP had promised SC reservation to Nishad sub-castes because of which he aligned with it but now it is becoming difficult for him to convince his community about the long delay despite being in the government. 'We are only part of the government, that is all. Actual decision-making lies with the BJP, which had come out with its separate vision for the Nishad community…,' he said. 'BJP yahi kehke layi thi, SP aur BSP ne galat kiya. Par jo Bhagwan ko paar utarne wale hain, weh apna hissa mang rahe hain. Hum jawab nahin de pa rahe hain (The BJP had brought us along saying that the SP and BSP did wrong. But now the community which helped Lord [Ram] is asking for its rights, and we are unable to answer them),' said Nishad, who has for long been raising the demand for SC reservation for 17 sub-castes of the community. The delay in giving SC quota to the Nishads, Sanjay Nishad said, had resulted in the shifting of votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as the community fell for the 'false promises of the SP'. And if this continued, it would make things difficult for the BJP and allies in the next Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, he said. 'The Nishad community constitutes 18 per cent of Uttar Pradesh. They voted for us in 2019 on this promise. But in 2024, the INDIA bloc was able to take their votes with false promises and if this continues then the community would distance itself,' he said. 'BJP jaldi ise door kare nahi to 2027 mein mushkil ho sakta hai (The BJP should resolve this soon or there might be difficulties in 2027).' In the 2022 Assembly elections, the NISHAD party, in alliance with BJP, was able to win six Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh but failed to win a single seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Nishad community is primarily found in regions alongside rivers, especially in eastern and central Uttar Pradesh, including areas surrounding Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, and Varanasi, among others.
Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
NISHAD party demands national memorial at Kanpur ghat
The Nishad Party, a BJP ally in Uttar Pradesh, demanded that the Satti Chaura Ghat in Kanpur be declared a National Memorial. The demand comes in remembrance of the 1857 incident where British forces allegedly massacred people from the Nishad community at the same ghat, and the party is marking the anniversary as 'Smriti and Sankalpa Diwas' for Nishads. 'We will rewrite with our blood the history that is not written in books,' said party chief and minister Sanjay Nishad, adding the ghat is a witness to the sacrifice and first spark of freedom by Nishad community. He said Satti Chaura Ghat be declared a national memorial and the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 be included in school syllabus to educate future generations about their ancestors.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Satti Chaura, Massacre Ghat should be declared national monuments'
1 2 Kanpur: Minister of fisheries and national president of the Nishad Party Sanjay Kumar Nishad, stated that this river bank is not just the edge of the Ganga, but is a witness to the sacrifices, bravery, and the first spark of freedom of the country by the Nishad community. "In 1857, Nishad boatmen drowned the British in the Ganga here, shaking the foundations of British rule. In retaliation, hundreds of Nishads were hanged without trial at the Massacre Ghat, and in 1871, the Criminal Tribes Act labelled the Nishad community as 'born criminals,' and humiliated them," said Sanjay Nishad while addressing a gathering in a programme organized in the memory and on the occasion of the Resolution Day of the Nishad community at Satti Chaura Ghat on Friday. Sanjay Nishad said, "Today, we are fighting our battle through the Constitution, pen, and vote to ensure separate reservations for the Nishad community." He demanded that Satti Chaura and Massacre Ghat be declared as national monuments and that the truth about the Criminal Tribes Act be included in school curriculum, emphasizing that Nishad children should learn about their ancestors' bravery to instil pride and prepare future generations for leadership. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Избавляемся от боли в суставах с помощью натуральных средств! Здоровые Суставы Undo The Nishad community leader detailed various welfare schemes initiated by the Central and the state govts for the upliftment of the fishing community, such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, Mukhya Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, Fishermen Accident Insurance Scheme, Kisan Credit Card, Intensive Fish Farming Aeration System, Nishad Raj Boat Scheme, Mata Suketa Cage System, and Fish Farmer Welfare Fund. These schemes are being transparently delivered to the community, with pond and reservoir leases being prioritised for the Nishad community, and the government is fully committed to removing illegal encroachments and protecting water resources, he added. Regarding the Etawah Katha Vachak controversy, the minister condemned the incident as highly reprehensible, and said that the Indian Constitution grants all citizens equal rights to perform and conduct religious rituals, and no caste can be deprived of this. When asked about the removal of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Constitution, he remarked that any constitutional amendment requires a parliamentary majority, questioning the basis on which the Congress had added these words during the Emergency when democracy was nearly suspended. He suggested that there should be a debate in Parliament on this issue, and if the words are deemed necessary by it, they should remain; otherwise, they should be removed. "In a democracy, no amendment can be made without collective consent of the people and Parliament," he said.
