Som-Baliyan tiff: Dy CM Brajesh Pathak steps in
Sanjeev Baliyan is BJP’s candidate in Muzaffarnagar constituency and running for a third term. Sardhana constituency is part of Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency where Chaubisi( Rajput dominated 24 villages) are situated and being a Rajput, Sangeet Som has a good following there.Sangeet Som and Sanjeev Baliyan are not on good terms since the 2022 assembly elections in which Som lost to Atul Pradhan of SP and it is said that Baliyan opposed him internally.
MEERUT Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brijesh Pathak held a closed door meeting with the BJP’s former MLA Sangeet Som at the party’s regional office in Meerut on Friday. It’s believed that the meeting was part of the damage control exercise to end the ongoing tussle between Som and Sanjeev Baliyan.
To recall, soon after the rally of chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Rajput-dominated village Rardhana on Wednesday, Som targeted union minister Sanjeev Baliyan and said that his stature was not so big that that he could talk to him ( Som).
Sanjeev Baliyan is BJP’s candidate in Muzaffarnagar constituency and running for a third term. Sardhana constituency is part of Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency where Chaubisi( Rajput dominated 24 villages) are situated and being a Rajput, Sangeet Som has a good following there.
Sangeet Som and Sanjeev Baliyan are not on good terms since the 2022 assembly elections in which Som lost to Atul Pradhan of SP and it is said that Baliyan opposed him internally.
Rajputs have more than 1 lakh votes in Muzaffarnagar constituency and are allegedly angry with the BJP and Baliyan. They first organised a panchayat in Kapsad village and another big panchayat was organised in Nanauta of Saharanpur on April 7 where a call was given to oppose the BJP .
However, chief minister Yogi Adityanath arrived in Rardhana village on April 10 and addressed a rally. Sangeet Som and Sanjeev Balyan were sitting by his side on the dais. Political experts say that it was a damage control exercise to assuage the feelings of Rajputs but Sangeet Som’s remark threw a spanner in the works.
Interacting with media persons after the rally Som didn’t hide his bitterness with Baliyan . On being asked if he would campaign for Baliyan now, he said, “ I campaign for the BJP”.
On the other hand, Sanjeev Baliyan also gave clarification about his viral statement that he did politics of development and not of destruction. It was thought that Baliyan covertly targeted Som through this statement which aggravated the ongoing tussle between them. Baliyan has now said that he spoke about the Samajwadi Party. On being asked about his tussle with Som, he said there was nothing personal and anything could be settled.
