Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday made a strong pitch for consolidation of backward caste voters in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as he highlighted the successful alliance of BJP and Apna Dal (Sonelal) which has won four elections in the state.
He said the state got completely rid of the "divisive forces" of SP and BSP after the BJP and the Apna Dal (Sonelal) joined hands.
The BJP leader made these remarks while addressing a function here to mark the birth anniversary of late Kurmi (backward caste) leader Sonelal Patel, the father of Union minister Anupriya Patel.
"In UP, the BJP and Apna Dal (S) have contested four elections together - two Lok Sabha polls (2014 and 2019) and two assembly elections (2017 and 2022) - and have unitedly won them.
"As a result, UP has got completely rid of divisive forces ('vighatankaari shaktiyon') of SP and BSP," Shah said.