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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Fresh jolt for anti-BJP alliance in Bihar, Samajwadi Party walks out
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Fresh jolt for anti-BJP alliance in Bihar, Samajwadi Party walks out

Mulayam-led party's surprise decision has potential to rework the political realignment in poll-bound Bihar

A file photo of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Photo: HTPremium
A file photo of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Photo: HT

New Delhi: The grand alliance that came together to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar suffered a jolt on Thursday after the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) abruptly exited its ranks.

The SP decided to go it on its own, but signalled its intent to stitch together an alliance of secular parties—the Nationalist Congress Party and the Left parties are not part of any political grouping in Bihar.

The party’s surprise decision has the potential to rework the political realignment in poll-bound Bihar.

As a third force, it will disrupt what was originally a two-way confrontation between the Janata Parivar-Congress alliance and the BJP.

The elections to the state assembly are yet to be announced, but this has not stopped political parties from engaging in hectic electioneering.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently ended a four-leg campaign on 1 September and the grand alliance similarly held a rally in Patna on 30 August as a show of strength.

The SP’s exit followed disagreements over the distribution of seats.

“We were not consulted for seat sharing and we felt insulted; thus, the party’s parliamentary board has decided to contest elections separately. I knew this situation would arise and I will not willingly sign on the death warrant of the party," senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters in Lucknow after the parliamentary board meeting on Thursday.

SP, which shepherded the Janata Parivar alliance and played the critical role of bringing Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), together, was unhappy over being given only five seats to contest, and at its exclusion from the seat sharing process.

The grand alliance still runs the risk of facing further fragmentation if the SP, which had earlier threatened to join up with the Left parties, decides to find more alliance partners. While the Left declined an offer to join the alliance, last month the NCP also left the grand alliance over seat sharing.

“If need be, we will speak to other parties for support; but that is not on the table as of now," Ram Gopal Yadav said.

Shocked at the Samajwadi Party chief’s decision, both the JD(U) and RJD have decided to request Mulayam Singh Yadav to be a part of the alliance and contest the assembly elections jointly.

JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav told reporters that the issue would be discussed and a solution would be reached.

“For us, Mulayam Singh Yadav will be our head, even if he has decided to move out of this alliance. We will request and ask him to think over his decision once. We will try our best to convince him to come back," said JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Singh from Bihar.

“He is the head of the alliance and indeed an important part. We urge the SP chief to set aside the pressure of the Bihar unit of SP and be a part of the Janata Parivar again," said RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha.

The BJP was quick in its attack.

“The first setback for the alliance was the exit of the NCP and the other one is Mulayam Singh leaving them. This step was not taken by Yadav just because he was given five seats; but it was the negativity this alliance showed in their first joint rally in Bihar which clearly portrayed that this alliance has no substantial agenda," Union minister and senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters.

To be sure, the SP went it alone in the 2010 Bihar assembly elections but failed to win any of the 146 seats it contested.

Badri Narayan, a professor of political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), said: “In Bihar, the image of the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) where JD(U), RJD, Congress and other parties have come together and have initiated an anti-Modi mobilization works more than the image of the Janata Parivar; thus, SP’s exit will not have a major impact on the elections. Democracy is the name of negotiations; all these are pressure tactics and SP might be using them to get more seats in the alliance."

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Published: 03 Sep 2015, 02:37 PM IST
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