BSP weaves 'Jat-Muslim-Dalit' combination in Western UP to counter BJP, I.N.D.I.A alliance

BSP plans to field strong Muslim candidates on the LS seats where the community plays a decisive role in deciding the outcome of the polls.

Lucknow: Struggling to remain electorally relevant in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the BSP has pinned hopes on what the party leaders say 'Jat-Muslim-Dalit' combination in the western and central regions of the state to counter the BJP-RLD as well as the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

BSP plans to field a number of prominent Jat and Muslim leaders in the constituencies where these two communities are in strength, a move aimed at denting the 'Jat' vote bank of the BJP-RLD and the Muslim vote bank of the SP.

A pointer in this direction was the induction of prominent Jat leader Choudhary Vijendra Singh, who was the national general secretary of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), into the BSP amid indications that he might be fielded from Bijnore Lok Sabha seat in the forthcoming LS polls.

BSP leaders here said that the party would be fielding strong' Jat' candidates from the seats where their community members were in sizable strength. They also said that many prominent RLD 'Jat' leaders were not "comfortable" with their party's alliance with the BJP and were looking for an "alternative". 

BSP also plans to field strong Muslim candidates on the LS seats where the community plays a decisive role in deciding the outcome of the polls. Of the five candidates declared so far by the BSP, four were Muslims.

BSP has fielded former SP leader Aqueel Ahmed from Kannauj, former minister Anees Ahmed Khan alias Phool Babu from Pilibhit, Mujahid Hussain from Amroha and Irfan Saifi from Moradabad. 

SP president Akhilesh Yadav was likely to contest from Kannauj and the BSP's Muslim candidate might eat into his party's Muslim vote bank to the benefit of the BJP. Similarly Congress was likely to field BSP sitting MP Danish Ali from Amroha and there too the BSP's Muslim nominee could hit the former's prospects.

While the Muslim BSP nominees could pose serious problems for the SP-Congress alliance, the party's Jat candidates could pose similar problems before the BJP-RLD combine also. A possible dent into the Jat vote bank of the BJP-RLD alliance was certain to make things difficult for the latters' candidates.

BSP feels that the support of the Jats and Muslims along with the assured support of the Dalits could become decisive in the elections on many seats in the western and central region of the state. 

BSP's electoral performance has been on the decline since 2007, when it had formed a government in UP on its own winning 206 of the 403 assembly seats and securing 30.43 per cent votes.

In the 2012 assembly poll in UP, the BSP secured 25.19 per cent votes and its tally of seats came down to 80. BSP's vote share declined further to 22.23 per cent and its seats came down to 19 in the 2017 assembly poll. In the assembly poll held in UP last year BSP fared dismally and could win only one seat and its vote share stood at a meagre 12.9 per cent.