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Cong pushed into political isolation in Uttar Pradesh
Other parties are working to form a non-BJP and non-Cong alliance for 2024 Lok Sabha election. Be it NCP or TMC, they have to keep Cong out, says senior leader
LUCKNOW A day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar spoke about his party’s tie-up with the Samajwadi Party, the latter firmed it up by declaring NCP leader KK Sharma as the alliance’s first candidate for the UP polls, pushing the Congress further towards isolation on the political horizon of Uttar Pradesh.
The All-India Trinamool Congress is also going to contest UP polls in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.
The Congress adopted ‘ekla chalo’ strategy in 2022 UP assembly elections following the failure of alliance experiments with the BSP in 1996 and the Samajwadi Party in 2017 Assembly elections. Not able to woo major sections of castes/communities or strengthen its organizational base, the party is being pushed towards political isolation, which is likely to lead to straight contests between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party.
“The Congress’ move of ‘ekla chalo’ may work for it in the long run as it will help in building the organizational structure at the grassroots level. Other like-minded parties are apparently isolating the Congress as they are working with a strategy of forming a non-BJP and non-Congress alliance for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. So, all these parties, be it the NCP or the TMC, have to keep the Congress out,” said a senior Congress leader.
Political observers said the opposition needs to put up a show of unity to strongly fight the BJP in 2022 UP polls. “If the opposition fails to make any impact in these elections, its dream of giving a strong alternative to the BJP in 2024 will have no meaning. The onus to check division of non-BJP votes lies with the Congress too just like the other like-minded parties,” they said.
“The Congress, by not joining the alliance, is acting against its own political interest. It will be in the interest of the party to come out of its isolation and be a part of an all-opposition alliance to give a fight to the BJP. I am sure the Congress will work on this and join the alliance sooner or later,” said Professor SK Dwivedi, former head of department, political science, Lucknow University.
A considerable section of Congress workers, who are not happy with the way things are going in the party, have begun looking for other options instead of waiting for Congress’ long-term strategy to succeed. “The Congress is nowhere to be seen in UP. It is neglecting its own leaders including the old guards. The party is being pushed into political isolation due to the policies being followed by those who are running the show. The party has failed to get support of any sections of society,” said former Congress MLC Siraj Mehandi, who joined the NCP in Mumbai on Tuesday.
“I was among the old guards expelled from the Congress for no reason. I waited for nearly one and a half years, and when the party failed to revoke my expulsion, I decided to move on,” he said.
But Mehandi is not alone. A number of Congress leaders have switched over to other like-minded parties in recent years/months and are now providing them a strong organizational support. Such disgruntled leaders, be the younger ones or the elders, are set to get rewarded with tickets from other parties like the NCP and the TMC in 2022 UP assembly polls.
