Out Of NDA In 2019, BJP's UP Ally OP Rajbhar Back Again, Says "Necessity"

The buzz is that OP Rajbhar, 60, who had quit the Yogi Adityanath government ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is also set to rejoin the state cabinet.

OP Rajbhar, the chief of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, has declared that he is joining the joins NDA, alleging that the opposition push in Uttar Pradesh has no steam in it. The buzz is that the 60-year-old, who had quit the Yogi Adityanath government ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, is also set to rejoin the state cabinet.

Asked about the matter, Mr Rajbhar was coy. "We are holding a meeting on July 18, which will be attended by the Prime Minister. All this will be decided then," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview. The decision on seat sharing will also be taken then, he added.

In an earlier interview with NDTV, Mr Rajbhar had been adamant about boycotting the BJP.  The Chief Minister, he had said, will be taught a lesson. Reminded about that, Mr Rajbhar said it is all a matter of "necessity".