It’s a catch-22 situation for Congress in Uttar Pradesh. It is in no position to contest alone. But, it doesn’t know whom to talk to. Its media strategist Prashant Kishore’s recent meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has fuelled speculation.
The BSP has already ruled out alliance with any party in the run up to Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls due in February-March next year. An alliance with the BJP is out of question. That leaves Congress with only the Samajwadi Party to negotiate with for an electoral alliance.
But in view of the deep fissures within the Samajwadi Party, Congress leaders are unsure whom they should deal with – Mulayam Singh Yadav or his son Akhilesh.
A senior Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh confirmed that the Congress wanted an alliance with SP because “if we contest alone we will be completely wiped out. With Akhilesh on our side, we hope to forge a formidable alliance. This could make the contest triangular”.
Initially, Mulayam was not in favour of such an alliance. He felt the SP government in the state has performed much better than people’s expectations and would sail through on its own.
That was the reason why he, two months ago, rejected Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Ajit Singh’s overtures for an alliance. All Ajit had demanded was a Rajya Sabha seat for himself and about 50 assembly seats.
Mulayam had also spurned offers from JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and RJD’s Lalu Yadav, saying they hardly had any presence in UP.
That’s why an alliance with these parties would be a futile exercise for the SP – these parties without a mass base would contest precious assembly seats and lose, which the SP would otherwise contest and might win.
But internecine fights within his family and the party seem to have affected Mulayam’s line of thinking.
Mulayam was also jittery with the prospect of Akhilesh leaving the party and contesting the elections in alliance with JD(U), RJD, RLD and, of course, Congress.
AICC in charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad was in direct touch with Akhilesh, but they were unable to take firm steps in view of the fluid situation within the SP. They didn’t know whether Akhilesh would stay put in the party, or chart his course out of it. This was something that even Akhilesh wasn’t sure about.
Things seemed to have crystallised during Diwali vacations.
That’s why without mulling any further, the young chief minister rode his auto-rath yesterday to meet as many people as possible and tom-tom his achievements.
His strategy is simple.
He will showcase his government’s achievements and campaign for himself. People will consider him to be the sole leader of the party since both Shivpal and Mulayam have lost both their connection with the people and their charisma.
That prompted the Congress too to open a direct channel with SP through Prashant Kishore, who approached SP general secretary Amar Singh to arrange a meeting with Mulayam Singh. Basically, Congress doesn’t want to jump the gun. If Akhilesh has to remain in the party, why not talk to the party supremo directly.
Secondly, both Nitish and Lalu don’t consider Mulayam a reliable ally. He ditched them in United Front, then again during the presidential election, in which Mulayam ditched his socialist friends to side with the BJP’s nominee APJ Abdul Kalam.
He betrayed Mamata Banerjee during Pranab Mukherjee’s Presidential election. His latest victim was Nitish Kumar as Mulayam walked out of the grand alliance at the last moment, despite Shivpal Yadav attending the first rally of the alliance partners.
That had fuelled reports of alliance even before the elections kicking off in earnest.
It will then be a Congress-SP alliance – if the deal is clinched – aimed at polarising minority votes away from the BSP.
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