SP seems to be inclined to grand alliance proposal on Bihar line now

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party which had walked out of the grand alliance formed by like-minded parties in Bihar, seems to be inclined to the proposal now, may be because of the family feud and recent poll survey which predicted a hung assembly in Uttar Pradesh next year.

President of the party, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has already initiated talks in this regard , has sent his brother and state party president Shivpal Singh Yadav to Delhi to talk to like-minded persons and pursue the proposal. The first person talked to by the party patriarch was leader of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, Ajit Singh.

He talked to him on Monday soon after the party meeting where a bid to unite the warring leaders was made. However, the first to broach the subject in the state was Ajit Singh who had subsequently invited Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to his village to discuss the proposal further. Immediate reaction of the Samajwadi Party to the move was not favourable as none had come out in the open to support. Now, it seems , there is a re-thinking in the party on the subject.

Success achieved by the formula in Bihar could have also played a part in the revisit by the party. The proposal is hoped to be backed by some old socialist parties , as had happened in the neighbouring state, and those who cannot see BJP marching ahead and enlarging its footprint. But it is not that easy as it seems. There are many grounds to cover for the proposal to succeed.

First, alliance partners have to be convinced that the party means business now. For, it was the Samajwadi Party which had withdrawn from the alliance because Nitish was ready only to allot a limited number of seats. Secondly, Bihar’s major political party, in terms of members in the state assembly , is Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janta Party, which has already declared that it will not field any candidate in the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Nitish too may have reservation because his suggestion to introduce prohibition in the state on lines of his state was outrightly rejected by the Samajwadi Party government. Besides, he would himself like to enlarge his base in the state for better bargaining power at the Centre. In the Samajwadi Party company his party may not achieve what he can achieve alone due to his pro-prohibition stance.

It is also noteworthy in this connection that Ajit has already responded favourably to Nitish's proposal to bring together old socialist groups. The Congress, the Bihar's other alliance partner is non-committal so far. If Nitish, for one reason or the other , does not join Mulayam’s hand , the latter will be left only with Ajit who can still join him. Much, in this light, will depend on developments in days to come.

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