NDA to Opposition, Minister to Akhilesh Yadav, why key UP players step up Nishad outreach

In the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for February 2027, the recent killing of a Nishad trader from Gonda has intensified politics in the state, with leaders from both the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc gathering to protest for justice. Vinod Sahani, a 45-year-old trader, was attacked by assailants on social media posts and later succumbed to his injuries in the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow.

The incident has become a political issue as three of the arrested accused belong to upper castes, and the Nishads are classified in the OBC category in UP.

Sanjay Nishad, the state Minister and leader of the Nishad Party, led a protest against his own government at KGMU, alongside opposition SP s OBC cell chief Rajpal Kashyap and VIP Party chief Mukesh Sahni. Sanjay demanded that the Yogi Adityanath government demonstrate the same "zero-tolerance" approach in this matter as in other criminal cases.

The Minister also visited Gonda to protest outside the collectorate office and took out a march, carrying a placard stating: "Nishad samaj ek ho jao." Slogans like "Vinod Sahani ke samman me, Nishad Party maidan me" were also raised during the march.

The Nishad community, consisting of boatmen, fishermen, and net makers, is a crucial voter bloc in Uttar Pradesh, accounting for about one-fifth of the OBC votes in the state. With an estimated presence in over 50 Assembly constituencies, Nishads play a decisive role in the state elections. Political parties, including the BJP and the SP, have been actively wooing the Nishad community in recent months, with the BJP appointing a Nishad leader as the chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes and the SP naming a Nishad as the chief of the party's women wing in UP.