With AAP alliance on the cards, SP is all done with poll pacts for 2022 elections

Kulsum Mustafa
Kulsum Mustafa

The news of Aaam Aadmi Party (AAP) joining the poll alliance pact with Samajwadi Party is now no longer just speculation but almost a reality. It is confirmed that AAP- which is making its foray in Uttar Pradesh, and which had declared earlier that it will ‘go it alone is now going to fight the assembly elections as an allay of SP. The party MP Sanjay Singh, called on SP President Akhilesh Yadav at the Samajwadi Party Lohia Trust office this afternoon. It is all in line with the party’s poll strategy for 2022, which is based on tying electoral knots with smaller regional political parties, This week will not only see the formal public announcement of the SP – Rashtriya Lok Dal tie-up, but also one with his estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav’s  Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia). Shivpal has been continuously expressing his willingness for a poll pact with SP but nephew Akhilesh has been keeping him on hold, though everyone knows that the alliance is just a formality that will be done any day.

There is even speculation that Asaduddin Owasi’s All India Majlise- e -Ittehadul Muslimeen  (AIMIM) may also finally end up in SP camp as an ally. Secret talks for this have been going on for a while now and this is being done through an alliance partner who has joined the SP camp.

Earlier in October this year, SP had made an important alliance with ex-BJP ally Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and Janwadi Party. SBSP chief expressed great confidence in the alliance and said that with SP help they will be able to give strength to his slogan is ‘Khadeda Howe’, or ousting the BJP government in the state.

The alliance with RLD will help SP in Western UP, SBSP and Janwadi Party in East, Mahan Dal in Central UP. All this will add to the strength of the SP and it will definitely help SP emerge as the single political opponent before the ruling BJP. The 20 percent Jat votes in Western UP along with the OBC and Muslim strength is going to make SP a force to reckon with for the ruling BJP which is fighting a lot of battles on many fronts. These include the in-fighting and distrust among its party men,  the government failure in handling the Pandemic health care, earning the wrath of the farmers in this long drawn out agitation for laws which were ultimately rolled back by the Union government, the anger of the kin of many state employees, including the teachers who died during performing their duties in Corona times for panchayat elections and coupled with this is the poor law and order situation in the state.

While most of these allies are important it is the RLD support through which SP will impact many seats in western UP. With the combination of Muslims and Yadavs, they can get at least 40 percent of the seats in this Jat dominated belt

Twenty-five-year-old RLD has been going through a low phase and the death of its founder  Chaudhury Ajit Singh to COVID-19 adversely impacted the party. But it gained momentum after it supported the Farmers’ agitation. under  Ajit’s his son of Chaudhry Jayant. The Prime Minister’s announcement on the rollback of its three laws which the farmers had termed black laws seems to have given a big impetus to RLD. This youth leaders call for “Bhaichara Zindabad’ (long live brotherhood) campaign to unite Jats and Muslims in western UP is working. Seems the party’s official electoral symbol the hand pump is going to dig deep.

The alliance talks with SP had been going on for a while now and it was being speculated that the announcement for RLD and PSPL would be made on SP founder Mulayam Singh’s birthday function on 22nd November but it did not happen. However, both Akhilesh, as well as Jayant, have in separate tweets released their joint photos and statement about being together. They gave the caption “Heading towards change.”

Insiders say that the seal will be finally put on the alliance when the details of the seat-sharing are finalized.  While Jayant has demanded 45, SP has offered 25, analysts say the deal will be struck somewhere between 32-35.