It is another of those queer political ironies that arrest one’s attention. The ‘just one seat’ winner of the 2017 assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh -Rashtriya Lok Dal, is being wooed ardently by the BJP that won 53, out of the 58 seats, in Western Uttar Pradesh. Totally ignoring the fact that RLD chief Jayant Chaudhury, has already signed an electoral alliance with the Samajwadi Party, the BJP continues its unethical overtures to get Jayant in its team before the first phase of the poll on 10th February. These Jatland constituencies hold the key to the seven-phase assembly elections being held in the Hindi heartland Uttar Pradesh.
These seats comprise huge chunks of farmers’ families who have suffered the loss of life and money in the over 14 months of agitation in which over 700 farmers lost their lives. COVID-19 and its not so efficient handling by the government has also left behind misery and pain over these eleven districts, including Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura, and Agra.
In its last-ditch effort, a desperate BJP is going all out to get a tighter hold on the Jat community here through its old Hindu polarization efforts that they think will cut down the negative effects of the Muslim Gujjar vote bank of Western Uttar Pradesh. The BJP knows that with Jayanat and Akhilesh together this may not be possible and that is why it wants to break this alliance by all means.
Therefore none other than the BJP Union home minister, Amit Shah, took it upon himself the important task to lure, cajole, and last but not the least warn RLD chief Jayant, spelling out the pitfalls that await him in this alliance.
The self-proclaimed Chanayakay of the party, Shah, first played the emotional family card and talked about how Jayanat’s grandfather, the late Ex-Prime Minister of India, Chaudhury Charan Singh, and his late father, founder of RLD Chaudhury Ajit Singh, had links with his family and party and how they shared a concern for the farming community.
To this Jayant replied that he had already made a decision and that he is not likely to fillip sides like a four anna coin.
Not to be deterred Shah continued his efforts. He travelled in the alleys and lanes of these constituencies, not forgetting during the canvassing to convey to the people and media how concerned he was about the fate of the poor boy Jayant, who though decorated with a good boy certificate had stepped into a wrong house for a poll tie-up.
Rasing his election pitch over the days Shah, the shrewd politician, also tried to rouse the people of these constituencies by reminding them about 2013, Muzaffarnagar riots, when Samajwadi Party was in power and allegedly favoured the minority.
Last but not least, the BJP leader tried to warn and advise Jayant by telling him that he has joined a criminals-riddled regional political party SP which will not merit his stature. He lso hinted at the Muslim appeasement of the party leaders that was rampant in the party. Shah warned that this grand alliance will break up on the day of the counting itself. And then came the cherry on the cake when the BJP leader imparted parental sort advice to Jayant and warned him that once the elections get through, Azam Khan will replace him in no time.
But one supposes that for this situation to arise Shah and his party will have to first concede defeat? For in the Opposition benches all are equal.
In the end, while it is true that only time can tell how the 58, constituencies will vote, yet one thing is for sure – the farmers’ agitation, BJP poor handling of the agitation, pandemic as well as social and caste issues will cost the party a lot of votes. The positive side is that these are the very factors that have helped surface the ‘humane’ side of not just these 58 but all the 403 constituencies of India’s most populous state of 22 crores.
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