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Lok Sabha polls: Samajwadi Party's unilateral first list of candidates riles Congress, underlines INDIA bloc challenges
Samajwadi Party has unilaterally released its first list of candidates for Lok Sabha polls even as it holds seat-sharing talks with Congress
The Samajwadi Party’s unilateral declaration of its first list of candidates on Tuesday has struck a discordant note when it is holding further rounds of discussions with the Congress on seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections as INDIA bloc partners in Uttar Pradesh.
Last week, the Samajwadi Party announced it has given 11 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress. Then, on Tuesday, the Samajwadi Party declared its first list of 16 candidates that included at least three to four seats, to which the Congress has also staked claim.
The SP’s moves, without taking the Congress into confidence, remained a major point of discussion in party circles as All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (incharge U.P.) Avinash Pandey presided over several rounds of meetings with state leaders here to prepare the party for Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra scheduled to enter Uttar Pradesh from Bihar on February 14.
Congress cites alliance dharma
“The Samajwadi Party is not following the alliance dharma; SP is making one-sided announcements in the alliance,” Pandey said, according to the news agency ANI.
“If there has to be an alliance, there has to be ‘gathbandhan dharma’ and the SP needs to follow the same. We have remained transparent in our dealings. The SP should reciprocate. We don’t think the SP’s decision to announce the first list is in sync with the manner the seat-sharing talks are being held and progressing,” a senior Congress leader said.
“This indicates there may not be any alliance. These actions may create doubts in the seat-sharing talks. The SP could have conveyed its decision to any Congress member at the committee before making announcement to ensure that there is no trust deficit,” said another leader.
The Congress had recently inducted senior Samajwadi Party leader and former Lakhimpur Kheri MP Ravi Verma. It also felt the party had a stronger candidate for Lucknow. The SP’s decision to announce a candidate from Farrukhabad is also surprising as senior party leader and former Union minister Salman Khurshid has represented the constituency earlier. Khursheed was not available for comments.
“The SP’s move has certainly created notes of discord. The Congress has been very transparent about the alliance. The grand old party has made the basics clear about seat-sharing. The Congress’ alliance with the SP has to be respectable,” said other leaders.
The Congress had initially given a list of 30 seats, expecting about 20 to 22 seats, in the alliance. The party leaders, however, refuse to go on record. A senior leader on condition of anonymity, however, said, “The Congress will like to contest at least one Lok Sabha seat in each of the 18 divisions of Uttar Pradesh to create a positive perception. We feel strong on eight to nine seats. We have strong candidates on nine to 11 seats. We can have discissions on 12 to 13 other seats as well. Various surveys are showing positivity towards the Congress. We have also strengthened our state units to some extent. We are getting positive feedback from the minorities. We are not claiming that this means the Congress will win all the 80 Lok Sabha seats on its own. We are keen to take on the BJP as a partner of the INDIA bloc,” said a senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity.
On BSP, 'all channels open'
About possibilities of an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party, the leader said: “Our channels are not closed with any political party. INDIA bloc wants to take all the opposition parties along.”
“It is high time both the Congress and the SP sacrifice self-interest and come together. If they fail to do so now, the BJP will be the gainer,” said Professor SK Dwivedi, former head of the department of political science, Lucknow University.
