Lucknow: Former BSP MP Arvind Chaudhary and ex-CBI deputy superintendent of police Anil Yadav joined BJP on Wednesday. The two were inducted at a function presided over by UP BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary at the state party office in Lucknow.“I warmly welcome Arvind ji and Anil ji into the BJP family. They have accepted this platform as BJP workers. I assure them that we will always stand behind them and fight for their dignity and respect,” Chaudhary said.Slamming the opposition for creating an atmosphere of anarchy in the country, Chaudhary said that the roots of democracy were deep and would never be shaken by nefarious designs of the opposition.UP ministers, including Swatantra Dev Singh, Dharampal Singh and Daya Shankar Singh, were also present on the occasion.A former BSP MP from Basti, Arvind Chaudhary had quit BSP and joined Samajwadi Party in 2020. He is the nephew of sitting SP MP Ram Prasad Chaudhary, who represents Basti in Lok Sabha.Both belong to the Kurmi community, an influential OBC group with a sizeable presence in eastern and central UP. Speculation is rife that Arvind Chaudhary may be fielded by BJP from a seat in Basti in the 2027 UP assembly elections.His entry into BJP is being viewed against the backdrop of BJP’s assertive bid to consolidate its non-Yadav OBC support base and counter SP’s attempts to mobilise backward communities under its PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) poll plank.The Kurmi community is among the most politically influential OBC groups in UP and has traditionally played an important role in electoral contests across several districts. BJP has been particularly keen to reinforce its connection with the community following the political setbacks it suffered in parts of the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.Likewise, the induction of Anil Yadav, a resident of Banda, is seen as BJP’s bid to reach out to the Yadav community, which otherwise happens to be a core vote base of SP. Yadav was one of the ticket seekers in the SP camp from Baberu assembly seat in 2022. However, SP fielded Vishambhar Yadav, who eventually won.His entry underscores BJP’s bid to attract people with professional and administrative backgrounds, besides political leaders from rival parties.The latest inductions also come at a time when the BJP leadership has stepped up efforts to expand its organisational and social footprint across the state. The party has been working on a strategy to identify influential personalities, opposition leaders and professionals who could be brought into its fold ahead of the electoral battle.At a recent organisational meeting, the party had asked district presidents to prepare lists of influential people from different walks of life, including lawyers, doctors, traders, industrialists and intellectuals, as well as opposition leaders who could be persuaded to join BJP.
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