Opposition unity move comes a cropper

Lucknow: The talks of a grand alliance between Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have ended in a fiasco even before the Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress, SP and BSP are going their separate ways in the byelections to two Lok Sabha that are due in Uttar Pradesh, ending all speculations of a joint candidate being pitted against the BJP. The BJP can now enjoy a free run in the byelections.

Bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the seats vacated by the resignation of Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Maurya, are to be held before March 22 and there has been no effort to even negotiate on the possibility of a joint candidate yet. “The alliance was for the Assembly polls. We are preparing to field our candidates in the Lok Sabha byelections and we are confident of defeating the BJP,” SP MLC Sunil Sajan said.

UPCC president Raj Babbar, on the other hand, said, “We are going to face the by-elections with full preparedness. This time we will contest to win the elections”.

The BSP is not yet decided on contesting the byelections. The party, as a rule, does not contest the bypolls.

“The decision is this regard has not yet been communicated to us. The tenure of these seats, where by-elections are being held, will be less than one year and there is no point in wasting our energies in it”, a senior party functionary said.

Expectedly, the BJP is elated over the failure of the Opposition to come together. UP BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, “The Opposition is completely demoralised. They know that they will face defeat and have even lost the will to fight against us”.

Meanwhile, the failure of the Opposition to come together is actually a result of clash of egos between their leaders.

BSP president Mayawati will never even accept the idea of being a part of an alliance that is dominated by the Samajwadi Party.

Since the Congress is a national party, the Grand Old Party feels it should be given the opportunity of leading the alliance.