New Delhi/Lucknow: The opposition ‘gathbandhan’ in Uttar Pradesh unfolded Tuesday with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati declaring her party will fight the Assembly bypolls alone, prompting Akhilesh Yadav to say his Samajwadi Party (SP) too is ready to go solo.
The BSP chief, however, said the break is not permanent and she can work with the SP again if their president can ‘fulfil his duties’.
Reacting to her statement, Akhilesh told reporters in Ghazipur, “If the alliance ends, we will field SP candidates on all 11 seats up for the bypolls after consulting party leaders soon.”
Mayawati said she will try to ensure that the BSP-SP relationship stays intact. “On the other hand, political compulsions cannot be ignored completely and everyone knows that,” she told the media in the national capital, less than a fortnight after the announcement of the Lok Sabha results.
The BJP ridiculed the two opposition partners for their short-lived alliance. UP’s Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said, “The ‘gathbandhan’ died May 23 and on the 13th day, the allies have parted ways,” he said, referring to the traditional Hindu mourning.
The BJP won 62 of 80 seats in the state while the opposition alliance bagged just 15, with the BSP winning 10 and the SP five. The Congress got one seat and the BJP ally Apna Dal (S) two.
Eleven assembly bypolls are due in UP after the respective MLAs won the Lok Sabha polls. Nine of them are from the BJP, and one each from the BSP and the SP.
“The bypolls can be announced any moment now. Under the current conditions in Uttar Pradesh, we have decided to fight the bypolls, which will happen on some seats, all alone,” Mayawati said.
“If I feel that the SP president is able to fulfil his duties and convert his people into missionaries, then we can still walk together in future. There has been no permanent break as of now,” she added.
It should be stated here that the alliance was formed in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls after a similar tie-up ensured the rout of the BJP on three Lok Sabha seats – Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Kairana – in bypolls held last year.
PTI