Alliances, Launches Acquire an Urgency

Ratan Mani takes a close look at the political developments in Uttar Pradesh, as November is coming to an end. New projects are being launched by the BJP, while political alliances and seat sharing by all parties gain momentum. An exclusive for Different Truths.

Election talk has entered drawing room and family discussions now as Uttar Pradesh moves close to mandate 2022. The obvious question is whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going to win again, whereas the next most frequently-asked question is whether Akhilesh Yadav is coming back with a Samajwadi Party (SP) win and a government. 

The divide sometimes seems one-sided and sometimes equal between those who wish for a BJP repetition or an SP comeback. But things are getting interesting as parties gear up to gather their forces and speed up their campaign. 

The ruling BJP, aided by the might of the Central Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is going ahead full steam with launches, inaugurations and ground-breaking. Since the Modi government is going to be there till 2024, it has lots to offer to UP now and later. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, too, is taking full advantage of having Modi’s arm on his shoulders – to reinforce this, he tweeted a photograph to this effect as well. 

Strong Bonding 

Modi was in Lucknow for two nights and three days, a record of sorts for the Prime Minister as he generally spends only one night away from Delhi because of various reasons. The fact that he, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, top brass from the Intelligence world and police chiefs from states and paramilitary forces spent almost three days in Lucknow, speaks a lot about the increased confidence in the UP government to organise and handle such a high-profile gathering. It also sent a clear message that the BJP’s central leadership has full faith in Yogi to deliver in 2022. 

But are other political parties simply sitting and watching? Except perhaps for the Congress, the answer is no. The SP, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Aam Admi Party (AAP) and other smaller parties are not sitting idle. Their activities are two-pronged: consolidating their existing strength and looking for expanding their spheres of influence wherever possible. 

In keeping with these twin objectives there is hectic activity going on in Lucknow, keeping media persons busy and running from one party office to the other. 

New Alliances 

The Samajwadi Party had given indications some months ago that it was confident of forming a government on its own strength but later, its leader and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav announced that he was open to alliances with other parties, after ruling out the same with BSP and Congress, both former allies. 

Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) was the first ally. Now, it is Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal as another partner of SP. Although it is not clear how many seats exactly the SP will leave for RLD, but it is learnt that many SP candidates may contest on RLD’s election symbol – meaning that either the RLD does not have enough winnable candidates, or that the SP is under pressure to accommodate its own aspirants under the RLD symbol. 

Then the SP leader went on to announce seat adjustment with Apna Dal faction leader Krishna Patel. In quick succession came Akhilesh Yadav’s meeting with AAP leader Sanjay Singh, where the decision to fight the election together was announced. The number of seats the SP will leave for each party was not made clear. All these adjustment announcements were made, significantly, on the same day. 

New Friends 

The BJP, on its part, welcomed two legislators from other parties into its fold. One was Aditi Singh from Congress, who has been vocal against the Congress for quite some time now, and the other was Vandana Singh of the BSP. Aditi Singh is an MLA from Rae Bareli while Vandana Singh is from Sagri in Azamgarh. Both the leaders come from influential political families and had been feeling comfortable in their erstwhile parties. 

The BJP is also close to settling the issue of seat-sharing with its partner Nishad Party and despite the noises, it is reported that the issue could be settled amicably. 

The BSP may not be seeking new friends, but it is clearing the air on what it seeks to achieve. Party leader Mayawati has said the focus will be on 86 reserved seats in the state. These seats include 84 for SCs and 2 for STs. Mayawati has held a meeting with her party presidents of these reserved constituencies to chalk out the poll campaign strategy. Preparations at all levels like cadre building and polling booth were discussed and Mayawati has said her party will aim at winning as many seats as possible. Meanwhile, a separate strategy will be chalked out for other castes, especially Brahmins, for which the responsibility has been given to national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra. 

Action Time 

As November draws to a close in less than a week, there is a feeling that there is no time to put off election-related decisions for a later date. A sense of urgency is visible in Akhilesh Yadav’s alliance spree. The BJP’s hurry is visible in the flurry of project launches. Since the SP and BJP are considering themselves to be the main contenders, their preparations indicate their seriousness. 

Political discussions in homes – at dining tables, coffee tables and in front of the TV sets, are getting more animated. Community fault lines are getting marked. History chapters are being revisited. Factoids from 2012 and 2017 assembly elections are being cited. The grand national obsession is playing out beautifully in UP. 

Visuals by Different Truths