With Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh round the corner, the time has come for the merger and alliances of political outfits.
With Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh round the corner, the time has come for the merger and alliances of political outfits.
The Qaumi Ekta Dal (QED) , which has two members in the UP Assembly, has decided to merge with the Samajwadi Party, and the fledgling Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) — a Rajbhar-based outfit — will merge with the BJP in June.
QED president and former MP Afzal Ansari told reporters that his party had decided that all like-minded secular parties should come together on one platform to counter communal forces.
Mr Ansari has been authorised by the party to finalise the issue of alliance or merger with the Samajwadi Party.
Mr Afzal Ansari is expected to make an announcement to this effect this week. The QED has two MLAs.
Afzal Ansari said that a proposal for the coming together of secular forces was recently put before him by senior SP leader Balram Yadav, and he also felt that this was the need of the hour.
“If Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mr Nitish Kumar could join hands to defeat the communal forces in Bihar, there was no reason why a similar effort could not be made in UP,” Mr Ansari said.
Meanwhile, the BJP is also trying to firm up its hold on OBCs and has managed to work out an alliance with the SBSP, which is led by Om Prakash Rajbhar.
The SBSP is a caste-based party that has influence over the Rajbhar community, which has been classified as belonging to the OBC list.
