In a quick riposte to Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Shatru’ finding favours from Samajwadi Party, the Yogi Adityanath government, after ‘rewarding’ Shivpal Singh Yadav with a big bungalow, is likely to allot the sprawling bungalow on Vikramaditya Marg vacated by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in June this year, to independent MLA from Kunda, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya.

Both the leaders have chequered history of relationship.

Akhilesh Yadav, as Chief Minister of UP, had got the palatial bungalow on Vikramaditya Marg allotted in his name in 2016 and he occupied it in the capacity of former Chief Minister in March 2017. Akhilesh had to vacate the bungalow in June this year on the order of the Supreme Court.

There was a bitter exchange of accusations between the state government and Akhilesh Yadav after the bungalow was vacated.

The Kunda MLA has already announced to float a new political party and he along with Samajwadi Secular Morcha of Shivpal Yadav are all set to make a dent in the vote banks of BJP’s political rivals in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Raja Bhaiya was inducted as Cabinet minister in Akhilesh Yadav’s Council of Ministers in March 2012 and he had to resign a year later following the murder of a deputy superintendent of police in his assembly constituency Kunda in Pratapgarh district. The former minister was discharged from the case by the CBI which was handed over the investigation of the case.

Akhilesh was reluctant to re induct Raja Bhaiya in the Cabinet but had to induct him following pressure from his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The final break-up of relations between both the leaders took place in March this year during the Rajya Sabha election as Raja Bhaiya refused to vote in favour of the joint opposition candidate of the Bahujan Samaj Party and voted for the BJP candidate.

The dissident BJP MP from Patna, Shatrughan Sinha and former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha had joined the birth anniversary celebration of Jayaprakash Naryan at the Samajwadi Party on October 11 and later the SP indicated that the BJP MP could be its candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 2019 parliamentary election.

Six-time independent MLA from Kunda constituency, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya has now approached the Election Commission to float a new party, likely to be named ‘Jansatta Party’.

The controversial politician enjoyed proximity to the Samajwadi Party’s first family until this year’s nail-biting Rajya Sabha election in UP that saw a photo-finish for the BJP.

Gyanendra Singh, public relations officer of Raja Bhaiya, said the Kunda MLA would officially announce the party on November 30, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of his entry into politics.

He said that SP president Akhilesh Yadav was “no longer receptive” to Raja Bhaiya after the results of Rajya Sabha election saw victory for additional BJP candidate at the cost of BSP nominee, who was supported by the SP.

He also said that SP’s growing proximity to BSP was one of the triggers behind Raja Bhaiya’s decision to float a new party.