As he now stitches together to keep a pre- alliance, notably with the Congress in order to keep the BJP in check on the back of the decision and its decisive victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Akhilesh has got a greater say at the negotiating table. The cycle has given him a better chance of controlling the core-yadav Muslim vote bank which SP controls and, at the same time, of reaching out to undecided voters unaffected by traditional caste equations. The fact that his supporters have started putting up forces of father and son together shows that the young CM does not want to be seen as a usurper. He knows it is in his best interest to not alienate Mulayam loyalists in the hinterland where his father continues to hold sway. Any sign of weakness or frailty on the SP part will be a sign to voters, particularly Muslims who usually swing en masse against BJP. If Akhilesh may not be a winning horse, this could lead to a shift in votes towards BSP led by Mayawati who already commands a sizable portion of UP’s Dalit votes.
Akhlesh will therefore have to strike fine balance taking the party along portraying an image of strength and renewal and making sure his social engineering remains intact. He has succeeded so far in making the elections about himself with right wheels under him. He will be looking to remain in the driver’s seat.
Firmly in control of UP’s ruling party, Akhilesh met Mulayam after the Election Commission’s decision. “I will take Netaji along……my relation with him is unbreakable, CM told media persons, adding he did not see the poll panel verdict as a victory.
But, it was the EC’s decision that led the Congress announcing its alliance with SP. “I am sure that the SP-Congress alliance will form the next government in UP”, Congress general secretary, Ghulam Nabi Azad”, said.
The Congress leader who is in-charge of UP affairs has said the official announcement was expected within 36 hours and details will be thrashed in two or three days.
The Congress was demanding 120-130 seats which SP was unwilling to concede. The SP had offered 115 seats for all partners. The alliance cuts sort the role of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, named by the Congress as its chief ministerial candidate. She has offered to withdraw if the alliance is worked out. (IPA Service)
INDIA: UTTAR PRADESH
SP-CONGRESS ALLIANCE MAY BE A BIG HIT
AKHILESH TO FIGHT ON DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
Harihar Swarup - 2017-01-21 10:53
What till now looked impossible has happened in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress and Samajwadi Party have entered into an alliance. This will have far-reaching effect on coming UP election. The image of Akhilesh Yadav has gone up with his party getting the cycle symbol. The family feud in the SP has taken a decisive turn with Election Commission awarding the cycle symbol to Akhilesh Yadav. It is a tilting of scales that gives the young Chief Minister a big boost on the campaign trail ahead of next month’s assembly election in UP. Not only this cements his place as the man to beat in the polls, it helps him sidestep anti-incumbency with having to give up the emotional connect with the organizational support that SP brings with it as a key player in the state for more than two decades. By winning the pitched battle with his uncles and other forces within the party, and most significantly his father Mulayam Singh, Akhilesh can shed the perception that he was the weak CM and showcase himself as agent of development and change.