Even before candidates for all Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh have been finalised by respective political parties, poaching of prospective candidates has already begun.
Even before candidates for all Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh have been finalised by respective political parties, poaching of prospective candidates has already begun.
In the past one week, the Samajwadi Party and the BJP have poached on each other’s candidates in Agra. Kundanika Sharma, daughter of noted poet Gopal Das Neeraj, joined the SP after quitting the BJP.
Kundanika was the vice-president of the BJP’s Braj region and a corporator. She was one of the three people booked for making hate speeches at slain VHP leader Arun Mahor’s condolence meeting here in February. Kundanika was also associated with the VHP’s women wing Durga Vahini. SP sources said that she had been named as party candidate from the Agra North seat.
The BJP retaliated by winning over SP candidate from Agra (Rural) Hemlata Divakar who returned the SP ticket to join the BJP. She said that she was feeling “stifled” in the Samajwadi Party. Three more candidates from the SP list are said to be negotiating with the BJP for a ticket.
If sources are to be believed, the BJP is also preparing to woo at least a dozen candidate from central UP which is considered the Samajwadi bastion.
“The Samajwadis have started the game and we will play it along. More than three dozen sitting legislators, including some ministers, are in touch with us and will defect at a moment’s notice. They all know that the Samajwadi Party is a sinking ship while the BJP is on its way to form the next government,” said a senior BJP leader.
The poaching game is not being played between the BJP and SP alone — the BSP is also a part of the game. The BSP is keeping a keen watch on winnable candidates, irrespective of the party to which they belong and is ready to welcome them into its fold with open arms.
The BSP is believed to be in touch with some leaders from both the BJP and the SP and the only hurdle is that the party is seeking donations for the party fund from prospective candidates. “I have been approached by BSP leaders to meet Ms Mayawati but I cannot ‘afford’ to join the party. Other parties give us money for elections but the BSP takes money from its candidates and I am not ready for this,” said a SP candidate who also added that he would consider joining the BJP if he got an offer. Most of the candidates admitted that for them winnability was more important than ideology.
