LS Polls 2019: Congress to alliance with BSP to divide Hindu votes

Yogesh Mishra

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) might have not yet stamped their alliance in Uttar Pradesh, but BSP supremo Mayawati has already given final shape to the formula of her party's association with Congress.

In the forthcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, BSP and Congress will be seen having a friendly fight with each other, but it will be a tactic on a few seats only. On the rest of the seats, they will fight together as an alliance against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It will not be shocking if we see the two parties coming together in a few other states as well in the Lok Sabha elections 2019. Congress is also mulling giving two seats (maximum) to BSP in states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Maharashtra in the general elections next year.

Both, Congress and BSP have their own interests

BSP has been contesting Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls in the above mentioned states since long and has even won seats in the states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

Congress is hoping to attract Dalit votes from Hindu community by joining hands with pro-Dalit BSP. On the other hand, BSP is looking to regain the tag a national political party through this alliance. Apart from the tag, BSP will also emerge stronger as an organisation after joining hands with an established outfit like Congress.

As per the informed sources, Congress has already agreed to allow BSP to contest on two seats each in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, while one seat each in Punjab and Delhi.

The alliance will also have an impact on Uttar Pradesh

The soon to be announced alliance has been established after thorough discussions between the second ranked representatives of both the political parties. They had several rounds of meetings over the issue in Bhopal and Delhi.

The Congress and BSP alliance is also expected to have a huge impact in Uttar Pradesh as well. After the development, it is very clear that the Opposition alliance of SP and BSP will get stronger with the support of Congress as the third partner.

Congress hopes of getting benefitted from the alliance

In the previous Assembly elections in Rajasthan, BSP had contested on 195 seats winning 3.4 per cent mandate and three seats. Congress had contested on 200 seats but could only manage 21 seats and 33.1 per cent mandate. BJP had emerged as the single largest party with 163 seats and 42.2 per cent votes. Samajwadi Party also had contested the elections on 56 seats but could not manage more than half a per cent votes.

In the Lok Sabha polls 2014, BJP had won all 25 seats in the state with over 55 per cent mandate.

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In Madhya Pradesh also, BSP had managed 6.29 per cent votes and four seats. Even in Lok Sabha polls, they could only manage 3.8 per cent votes. In 2013 Assembly elections in MP, Congress had won 58 seats with 36.38 per cent mandate, while BJP had acquired 44.88 per cent votes and 165 seats.

Congress is hopeful that its alliance with BSP can lead the party to power in the state.

In the previous assembly election in Chhattisgarh, BSP had managed 4.3 per cent votes. It fought on 90 seats and won only one while BJP had fought on equal number of seats and had won 49 of them with 41 per cent mandate. Congress also found on 90 seats and managed 40.3 per cent votes but could only win 39 seats.

In the Lok Sabha polls, Congress might have won just one seat in the state but had managed 38.4 per cent votes.BJP on the other hand had won four seats with 48.4 per cent votes. Here also Congress is hoping of emerging victorious with support of BSP.

Congress planning to divide Hindu votes to defeat BJP

Congress has decided to attract Dalit votes so that they could divide the Hindu votes and defeat the Modi wave which blew away every party in the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

Mayawati is the only big Dalit leader in Uttar Pradesh who has a huge influence on the SC-ST community in the nearby states also. Congress is seeing its last resort in Mayawati to have a redemption across the country.