Nishad Party leader and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha MP Praveen Nishad joined the Bharatiya Janata Party here on Thursday. The party has forged an alliance with the BJP and will support the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Praveen, the son of party president Sanjay Nishad, joined the saffron party in the presence of Union Minister JP Nadda.
"The entrance of the Nishad Party will impact several Lok Sabha seats in eastern, western and central Uttar Pradesh," Nadda said at a press conference at the party headquarters here.
Nadda did not announce any seat-sharing pact with the new ally. He, however, signalled that Praveen may contest the Lok Sabha elections. "Since he is in electoral politics, he will contest the polls," he told reporters.
Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad said that their party in alliance with the BJP is committed to ensuring a second term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Nishad Party severed its ties with SP-BSP-RLD 'Mahagathbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh on March 29, saying it will look for other options.
Praveen Nishad had defeated the BJP candidate from Gorakhpur, the home turf of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in the 2018 Lok Sabha by-elections.