BJP- BSP bonhomie on cards in LS polls?

Recently, BSP chief Mayawati announced that her party would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election independently, asserting that past experiences with alliances have not been beneficial.

LUCKNOW: The support of the lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA, Uma Shankar Singh, to the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha election might pave the way for NDA-BSP collaboration in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

BSP chief Mayawati (Sourced)

BSP MLA from Rasra assembly seat in Ballia district, Umashankar Singh, voted for the BJP candidate on Tuesday after receiving the green signal from the party chief, Mayawati. “The NDA candidate, Sanjay Seth, approached me for support in the Rajya Sabha election. The INDIA bloc leaders did not approach me for support. I have a cordial relationship with Seth and after permission from the party chief, I voted for the BJP candidate,” he said.

Recently, BSP chief Mayawati announced that her party would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election independently, asserting that past experiences with alliances have not been beneficial. She said that while the BSP’s votes were transferred to the alliance partner during elections, the party did not receive the base or upper caste votes of the ally in return. However, she did not rule out the possibility of a post-poll alliance.

After the BSP’s support to the BJP candidate, the possibility of the BSP joining the INDIA bloc alliance seems to have diminished. UP Congress unit leaders were optimistic that Mayawati might decide on alliance formation after the Election Commission of India’s notification of the Lok Sabha elections in March. However, the voting of the BSP MLA in support of the NDA has put an end to their speculation.

A BSP leader, wishing anonymity, said that despite supporting the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha election, Mayawati would not consider an alliance with the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. “The decision to support the NDA candidate was a strategic move by the party to ensure the defeat of the SP candidate. The SP had objected to the BSP’s potential joining of the INDIA alliance,” he said.

The BSP’s support for the NDA candidate in the Rajya Sabha election may alienate the Muslim community from the BSP in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The BSP has been relying on the Dalit-Muslim formula to secure seats in the LS election. Anant Rao Akela, a political observer, pointed out that in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BSP won 10 seats in the Muslim-dominated Rohilkhand region of West UP and in Dalit-dominated constituencies in East UP.