Samajwadi leaders in Uttar Pradesh want the party to sew up alliances with smaller outfits in order to counter the mounting anti-incumbency factor against the Akhilesh Yadav government.
Samajwadi leaders in Uttar Pradesh want the party to sew up alliances with smaller outfits in order to counter the mounting anti-incumbency factor against the Akhilesh Yadav government.
Party leaders, particularly those in western Uttar Pradesh, feel that alliances with like-minded parties will help in checking the division in the anti-BJP vote and also instil confidence in the Muslim voters.
“In western Uttar Pradesh, in particular, there are strong chances of Muslims and dalits voting together for the BSP. If we ally with smaller outfits we may be able to counter this,” said a party MLA from this region.
The All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Musalimeen (AIMIM) has been trying to forge the Muslim-dalit combination and though this may not directly benefit the AIMIM, it could help the BSP which is also trying to win over the Muslims.
In eastern Uttar Pradesh, the elevation of an OBC, Keshav Maurya, as state BJP president is bound to divide the OBC votes, particularly Maurya, Shakya and Kushwaha.
“Mr Maurya could trigger consolidation of non-Yadav OBCs and MBCs in favour of the BJP. It is noteworthy that in 2014, a large number of Yadavs had voted for the BJP and this time, the inclination of OBCs towards the BJP is much greater,” admitted a SP MLC from eastern UP.
The party leadership, however, refuses to entertain proposals for an alliance.
Senior Uttar Pradesh minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, who is also in charge of the election campaign, said, “This work our work will speak for itself. We have fulfilled all our promises and so much development in just four years has never taken place before. We do not need to enter into any alliance and are capable of winning a majority on our own. We have successfully shifted the focus from casteism and communalism to development and people are appreciating this.”
