40 Thakur legislators announce formation of kutumb parivar

More than 40 legislators belonging to the Thakur (Rajput) group in Uttar Pradesh held a gathering in Lucknow and later introduced the formation of a ‘Kutumb Parivar’ (household of a group), based on sources.

The gathering, held on Monday night at a five-star lodge, included MLAs and MLCs, principally from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Two Samajwadi Party rebels – MLAs Rakesh Pratap Singh and Abhay Singh – and the lone BSP MLA Uma Shankar Singh additionally took half within the assembly, the sources added.

Organised by BJP MLA from Kundarki Assembly section, Ramveer Singh, and Moradabad MLC Jaipal Singh Vyast, based on posters put up on the venue, the assembly assumes significance amid the perceived discontent amongst Thakurs, particularly after the ruling BJP denied tickets to a number of group leaders to accommodate candidates from different castes within the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

An in any other case influential caste group, the group has almost 50 MLAs within the 403-member State Assembly at current. Out of them, 43 have been elected on BJP tickets within the 2022 Assembly ballot.

While the legislators who participated within the gathering described it as a courtesy assembly, “extra like a household perform”, the event is being seen as a present of energy amid rising murmurs of brewing discontentment.

Talking to The Hindu, Mr. Vyast dismissed the rumblings, saying, “It [the gathering] was largely a non-political get-together and was not restricted to any explicit caste… MLAs from varied social teams participated in it.”