dailyO
Politics

Is the SP-Congress alliance to save Uttar Pradesh coming apart?

Advertisement
Javed M Ansari
Javed M AnsariJan 20, 2017 | 19:46

Is the SP-Congress alliance to save Uttar Pradesh coming apart?

The much touted mahagatbandhan in Uttar Pradesh, comprising the Samajwadi Party, Congress and the RLD, is threatening to come unstuck even before taking off. After the falling out with the RLD, word coming out of Lucknow is that the Congress party's decision to scale up its demand to 140 seats is threatening to derail the alliance.

According to sources in the SP, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had initially offered the Congress 100 seats, but the latter held out for more. While CM Yadav has scaled up the offer to 120, but the Congress continues to insist on contesting in 140 seats. Piqued by the Congress’ brinkmanship, the SP has already declared 191 seats.

Advertisement

The SP leadership believes that the Congress is punching way above its weight. The SP wants to contest at least 300 of the 403 seats. The Congress is also insisting on contesting a majority of the seats, especially in Rae Bareli and Amethi, some of which are held by the SP. As things stand, the alliance could come unstuck unless the Congress decides to scale down its demands.

The stakes are high for both parties. Both stand to lose if the alliance does not come about; the Congress more so than the SP. On its own, the party could struggle to make its presence felt. Along with the SP it can rightfully hope to increase its tally of seats from the 28 that it won in the 2012 assembly elections.

mahagathbandhan_012017073547.jpg
The SP leadership believes that the Congress is punching way above its weight. [Photo: DailyO]

The SP, too, will not escape unscathed. It will lead to a major division of votes and could compel the anti-BJP voters in UP to gravitate towards the BSP.

The current state of play between the two parties is not unusual. A fair degree of jostling and brinkmanship usually precedes election alliances. However, what the two sides do not have is the luxury of time.

Advertisement

The last date of filing nominations for the first round of polls is January 24, and unless the two sides can work out a mutually acceptable seat sharing formula, they will both, to varying degrees, find the going extremely tough against the BJP.

Word coming out of both camps is that hectic, behind-the-scene parleys are currently underway. It’s likely that the two sides will ultimately be able to come together once again. They are taking heart from the fact the SP has indicated its willingness to reconsider some of the names it has announced from seats which the Congress had won in the last assembly elections.

The Congress, too, might be willing to scale down its demands if the SP concedes a few seats in the Gandhi family strongholds, Rae Barelli and Amethi.

Last updated: January 21, 2017 | 18:32
IN THIS STORY
Please log in
I agree with DailyO's privacy policy