A fierce war of words has been going on between Balyan (R) and Som for weeks leading up to the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Image file/X
BJP candidate and former union minister Sanjeev Balyan, who faced defeat from the Muzaffarnagar seat in the Lok Sabha elections, has pointed the finger at former BJP MLA from Sardhana Sangeet Som, with the latter returning.
The election is over, the results are out, and the new government is in place. But the Bharatiya Janata Party’s relatively poor performance in Uttar Pradesh, especially in the west, has led to a war of words among leaders here. Far from introspection, western UP – considered a BJP stronghold, albeit without an alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal – witnessed a public spat.
It all started with Sanjeev Balyan – who became a union minister after a landslide victory in 2014 and again after defeating Jat leader Ajit Singh in his constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections – lost the Muzaffarnagar seat. Balyan is the Modi government’s trusted firefighter for the Jat woes. So, when he lost despite having RLD Jayant Chaudhary in the NDA and also campaigning for him, observers said he did what many leaders do in similar situations – float conspiracy theories.
PREMIUM
After Samajwadi Paty’s Harendra Singh Malik – another Jat leader in the region – defeated Balyan by 24,672 votes, things heated up. Balyan also lost from Sardhana constituency (by 45 votes), which was under the supervision of former MLA Sangeet Som. Som and Balyan are known for not having the best of similarities.
Balyan snapped when asked about Som: “I am sure there should be questions. Someone has the courage to help the Samajwadi Party but occupies a high position here (in the BJP) and also has facilities. I have asked the party leaders to understand the matter. They also said that the reason BJP’s poor performance in the state is due to “Jaichands” – a reference to traitors.
CONTRACT
It is clear that Balyan is practicing his guns on Som, who also refuses to campaign for the now defeated MP. In haste, he called a press conference to oppose Balyan. “I am the leader of Sardhana Assembly constituency in Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seat and we are doing very well. He lost by a bigger margin in Budhana and Charthawal constituencies. He (Balyan) needs to introspect,” said Som. He also leveled allegations of corruption against Balyan.
When News18 contacted Som, he said, “My advice to Sanjeev Balyan is to limit his views to the party forum instead of talking to the media. If we have differences of views, we should resolve them in the party forum. Does that mean the war of words will die?” I have never indulged in anything. . I never had a problem. But I can’t comment on him,” he replied.
PRE-POLL CASTE TENSION
A fierce war of words has been going on between Balyan and Som for weeks leading up to the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Agitation by the Thakurs and the mahapanchayat before the polls is believed to be one of the main reasons for Balyan’s defeat apart from the consolidation of the Muslim vote, which is bound to happen.
The Thakurs are angry at the spread of BJP tickets in Uttar Pradesh this time as they feel their community has been neglected. Interestingly, Som belongs to the Thakur community, while Balyan belongs to the Jat community – two prominent Hindu clans in western UP. Thakur voters, around 1 lakh, make up a sizeable chunk of the electorate. Usually BJP voters, it seems they have switched sides now.
While Balyan lost from Sardhana – Som’s turf and also the village he belongs to – the latter argued that the former union minister had also lost elsewhere. Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency includes Muzaffarnagar City, Budhana, Sardhana, Charthawal, and Khataul areas. Except for Muzaffarnagar City, Balyan lost from all remaining areas.
CM YOGI TRYING ENGINEER TRUCE
Even before the election began, Som refused to campaign for Balyan saying he did not consider him a leader of “stature”. After the election, Balyan recalled that he had a PhD in response to the “standing” barb.
In early April, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Sardhana with a dual purpose – to woo the Thakurs and engineer a ceasefire between Balyan and Som. But the Lok Sabha poll results speak for themselves. Despite getting the RLD to cushion its losses, the BJP could only win 13 of the 26 seats in western UP. In 2019, BJP won 18 seats from this zone.
Balyan and Som went back a long way. Both the leaders rose to prominence after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots for being booked for fanning communal flare-ups. Balyan became a union minister while Som remained an MLA. But in the 2022 UP Assembly elections, when the BJP returned to power, Som lost to Samajwadi Party’s Atul Pradhan. It was pointed out by Som’s supporters that Balyan played a role.
Now Balyan’s supporters suspect that this is revenge for a wound that has been festering for a long time.