Lok Sabha polls 2019: Opposition completes 'defeat BJP' layout

Yogesh Mishra

Lucknow: The opposition parties have prepared the layout of Grand Alliance in Uttar Pradesh to satisfy the common motto of defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lok Sabha polls 2019.

Not only Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) but many small outfits will also come together to eliminate BJP from power.

The official announcement of this Grand Alliance is likely to be made during the Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections.

In a bid to eliminate the possibility of confrontation, the seat distribution layout has been prepared on the basis of who remained at the second position in particular constituency in the last elections.

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Notably, Western Uttar Pradesh is considered to be the stronghold of BSP while Etah, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Firozabad and Agra are considered to be the den of Samajwadi Party. Hench, all members of the Grand Alliance will choose the constituencies on the basis of their possibility of winning.

BSP to get maximum number of seats as per the formula

If we go by the prepared layout, SP is going to contest on 28-29 seats while BSP will get 36-38 seats. The other alliance partners, Nishad Party, Peace Party and Apna Dal, will also get one seat each. RLD is satisfied with two-three seats only but has emphasised on getting Baghpat and Mathura constituencies.

Congress:

Congress on the other hand has demanded for the Amethi, Raebareli, Dhaurahra, Kushinagar and Saharanpur seats. The party, however, had managed to win only two seats and had ended at the second spot at six constituencies in the previous elections.

Samajwadi Party:

Samajwadi Party has pitched for the seats including Rampur, Sambhal, Badanu, Etah, Etawah, Mainpuri, Ferozabad, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Moradabad and Kannauj. If sources are to be believed, party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav wants Aligarh seat for Guddu Pandit.

SP is also willing to field Ramji Lal Suman's son from Hathras constituency.

Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad, Apna Dal Chief Krishna Patel (wife of Sone Lal Patel) and Peace Party supremo Dr. Ayub's son will also contest the elections.

As per the sources, BSP might have won the race of fielding most number of candidates but due to having many outsider contenders, the party is least likely to be able to show intervention in most of the constituencies.

History of Grand Alliance

1993 UP Assembly Elections: When SP and BSP had formed alliance

BSP – 63 seats and 28.53 per cent votes

Samajwadi Party – 108 seats and 29.48 per cent votes

BJP – 177 seats and 33.30 per cent votes

Till 1993 assembly polls, Uttar Pradesh was not bifurcated for the creation of Uttarakhand.

1996 UP Assembly Elections: When BSP had found a partner in Congress

Congress – 33 seats and 29.13 per cent votes

BSP – 67 seats and 27.73 per cent votes

SP – 110 seats and 32.10 per cent votes

BJP – 174 seats and 33 per cent votes

The Grand Alliance is capable of changing the picture

In the previous Lok Sabha polls in 2014, Congress, SP and BSP sustained a major drubbing at the hands of BJP. Significantly, all three parties had contested the elections separately. The number of votes secured by these parties could be regarded as their worst performance till date.

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In 2014 general elections, SP and BSP had managed 42 per cent votes in UP together while in 2017 Assembly elections they managed to get 44 per cent votes. Congress had managed 7 and 6 per cent votes, respectively.

In Lok Sabha polls 2014, BJP managed 42.63 per cent votes and in 2017 Vidhan Sabha elections, it secured 39.16 per cent votes. BJP alliance had won 73 seats in Lok Sabha polls while Congress had got two and SP had managed 5 seats in the state.

The Grand Alliance of SP, BSP, Congress and RLD, however, is capable of changing the picture in the 2019 general elections.