A day the Nishad Party on Friday sprang a surprise by parting ways with the SP-BSP-RLD 'Mahagathbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh, the alliance on Saturday announced the candidate for Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat. 

Rambhual Nishad, a former BSP leader who had joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections in 2017, will contest on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's bastion. The SP also announced that Ram Kumar will be its nominee on the Kanpur seat.

Nishad had been two-time MLA from Kaudiram assembly seat, now Gorakhpur rural, and had also been the fisheries minister during BSP chief Mayawati's government in 2007. 

The Lok Sabha seat, from where Yogi won five consecutive elections, is currently held by Praveen Kumar Nishad who is the son of Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad. He won the election as a Samajwadi Party candidate in a by-election last year. 

The win had been remarkable, as Gorakhpur was considered a bastion of Adityanath, who had represented the parliamentary constituency five times.

Just four days ago on Tuesday, the Nishad (Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal) Party in a press conference in Lucknow had announced that it was joining the SP-BSP-RLD 'Mahagathbandhan' in the state.

On the day of the announcement, Sanjay Nishad had addressed a press conference in which he had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him a 'jumlebaz' as well as Adityanath.

"Our constitution, youth and farmers' futures are in grave danger. People voted for a 'jumlebaz' party cause of their false promises," he had said.

"Modi and Yogi promised many things for Nishad community but nothing was done. The Nishad community will now give full support to the SP-BSP alliance in all the state," he added.

However, on Friday, the Nishad Party Friday sprang a surprise by meeting Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow.

There was no immediate word from either side as to what transpired at the meeting between the Nishad Party leaders with Adityanath in Lucknow. The Nishad Party, sources said, is in talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for some seats including Gorakhpur. 

"Akhilesh Yadav had said he'll make announcement on seats for our party. But they didn't put our name on poster/letter or anything. My party workers, authorities, core committee were upset," Sanjay Nishad said. 

"So the Nishad party has taken a decision today that we are not with the 'gathbandhan', we are free, can fight elections independently and can look for other options as well. The party is free now," he added. 

(With PTI inputs)