The elections are over, the results are out, and the new government is in. But the Bharatiya Janata Party’s relatively poor performance in Uttar Pradesh, particularly on the western side, has ignited a war of words amid the leadership here. Far from introspection, western UP — considered the BJP’s fort, even without an alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal — is witnessing a full public spat.
It all started with Sanjeev Balyan — who was made union minister after his thumping victory in 2014 and again after defeating the Jat leader Ajit Singh in his domain in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections — losing this time from his Muzaffarnagar seat. Balyan was the Modi government’s trusted firefighter of Jat anguish. So, when he lost in spite of having Jayant Chaudhary’s RLD in the NDA and also campaigning for him, observers say he did what many leaders in similar situations are enticed to do — float conspiracy theories.
THE CHARGE
After Samajwadi Paty’s Harendra Singh Malik — another Jat leader of the area — defeated Balyan by a margin of 24,672 votes, things got heated. Balyan also lost from the Sardhana area (by 45 votes), which is under the supervision of former MLA Sangeet Som. Som and Balyan are known for not having the best of equations.
Balyan snapped when he was asked about Som: “I believe there should have been an inquiry. There are those who have brazenly helped the Samajwadi Party but are occupying high posts here (in the BJP) and availing facilities too. I would request the party leadership to take cognisance of the matter.” He also said the reason for the BJP’s dismal performance in the state was due to “Jaichands” — a reference for traitors.
THE COUNTER
It was clear that Balyan was training his guns at Som, who also refused to campaign for the now-defeated MP. In a haste, he called a press conference to counter Balyan. “I was in charge of Sardhana assembly constituency of Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seat and we fared quite well. He lost by a much bigger margin in the Budhana and Charthawal constituency area. He (Balyan) should introspect,” said Som. He also levelled allegations of corruption against Balyan.
While News18 contacted Som, he said, “My advice to Sanjeev Balyan will be to restrict his views to party forums instead of addressing the media. If we have a divergence of views, we should address them within the party forums.” Does that mean the war of words will die soon? “I never indulged in any. I never had an issue. But I can’t comment about him,” came the reply.
PRE-POLL CASTE TENSION
A fierce war of words had been raging between Balyan and Som for weeks leading up to the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Agitation by Thakurs and a mahapanchayat just ahead of the polls are believed to be among the key reasons for Balyan’s loss apart from Muslim vote consolidation, which always happens.
The Thakurs were angry at the BJP’s ticket distribution in Uttar Pradesh this time as they felt their community was being ignored. Interestingly, Som belongs to the Thakur community while Balyan is from the Jat community — the two prominent Hindu clans in western UP. Thakur voters, around 1 lakh, make up a sizable chunk of the electorate. Traditionally BJP voters, they seem to have switched sides this time.
While Balyan lost from Sardhana — Som’s turf and also the village he belongs to — the latter argues that the former union minister lost elsewhere too. The Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency comprises the areas of Muzaffarnagar City, Budhana, Sardhana, Charthawal, and Khataul. Except for Muzaffarnagar City, Balyan lost from all the remaining areas.
CM YOGI TRIED TO ENGINEER TRUCE
Even before the election started, Som refused to campaign for Balyan saying that he did not consider him a leader of his “stature”. After the election, Balyan reminded that he holds a PhD in response to the “stature” barb.
In early April, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Sardhana with a dual intent — woo Thakurs and engineer a truce between Balyan and Som. But the Lok Sabha poll result speaks for itself. Despite getting the RLD on board to cut its losses, the BJP could win only 13 of 26 seats in western UP. In 2019, the BJP won 18 seats from this zone.
Balyan and Som go back a long way. Both these leaders rose to prominence after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots as they were booked for stoking communal flares. Balyan became a union minister while Som remained an MLA. But in the 2022 UP assembly elections, when the BJP swept back to power, Som lost his seat to Samajwadi Party’s Atul Pradhan. It is alleged by Som’s supporters that Balyan was instrumental in it.
Now Balyan’s supporters suspect this is revenge for that long-festering wound.
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