In a fresh PDA push, SP appoints Seema Rajbhar as national chief of its women wing

Lucknow: Lending a fresh push to its PDA (Pichde, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) outreach, Samajwadi Party has appointed Seema Rajbhar as national president of the party’s Mahila Sabha.

The development comes barely a month after the party nominated Rukmani Devi Nishad, elder sister of former MP Phoolan Devi, as the state president of Mahila Sabha.

In the political circles, the two appointments are being seen as Akhilesh’s way of underlining the party’s commitment to create opportunities not only for women but ones from the backward castes and communities – a line that the party has been reiterating for quite some time now and aggressively since the debate over women’s reservation started making headlines. Akhilesh has been demanding ‘quota within quota’ in women’s reservation.

Within the SP, Seema Rajbhar and Rukmani Devi Nishad's appointments as Mahila Sabha national and state chiefs, respectively, are being described as Akhilesh’s way of ‘walking the talk’ on equal opportunities for women from marginalised sections.

Both Rajbhar and Nishad castes come under the Backward classes – core constituent of SP’s PDA plank. comprising Pichde (Backward classes), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (Minorities).

Seema Rajbhar has replaced Juhie Singh – the party’s Thakur face who held the post for the past five years. A trusted aide of Akhilesh, Juhie remains a core member of the party’s unit handling women affairs and regularly accompanies Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav on political tours.

A native of Ballia, Seema Rajbhar alias Bhawna was associated with Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP). She served as Ballia district president of SBSP’s Mahila Morcha before leaving SBSP following differences with the outfit’s chief in 2022. This was the time when SBSP joined hands with the SP as an alliance partner for the last Assembly polls. Thereafter, Rajbhar went on to side with the BJP.

Seema then formally joined SP and as Mahila Sabha national president she is now being seen as the party’s bet to counter OP Rajbhar and his SBSP in the Purvanchal region. By appointing her as the SP Mahila Sabha chief, party strategists plan to blunt SBSP’s influence in eastern UP, which has a sizeable population of Rajbhars.

“Seema Rajbhar’s appointment as national president of SP Mahila Sabha is just another step in line with the party’s commitment to offer better opportunities to the neglected castes and communities. Earlier, the party appointed Rukmani Devi Nishad as the state president of the same Mahila Sabha and the idea behind her elevation was the same,” said a senior SP leader, adding that SP leads by example and does not offer mere lip service like the BJP.