Akhilesh Yadav at function of marriage of daughter of BSP leader Afsal Ansari
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, January 6: The Samajwadi Party (SP) appears eyeing the Muslims faces from within the ranks of the Bahujan samaj Party (BSP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The SP is working overtime to assert the party’s credentials among the Muslim voters amid assessment that the Ram idol consecration may lead to a sharp polarization in the Uttar Pradesh politics.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav attended the marriage function of the daughter of the BSP leader Afsal Ansari. Notably, Ansari is the suspended MP of the Lok Sabha from the ranks of the BSP. He had defeated Manoj Sinha from the Ghazipur Lok Sabha seat on the BSP symbol. After his conviction, the Lok Sabha had disqualified his membership but subsequently the judiciary had suspended his disqualification.
Besides Akhilesh Yadav, his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav was also present on the occasion of the marriage of the daughter of the suspended BSP MP. The presence of the top ranking leaders of the SP at the function of the BSP leader has stoked speculations in the political corridors of Uttar Pradesh.
It may be recalled that the BSP supremo Mayawati has also gone in the election mode and she had held a meeting in Lucknow to finetune the strategy of the party for the Lok Sabha elections. The BSP is banking on the consolidation of the Dalit-Muslim vote base in the party favour in the Lok Sabha elections. Mayawati had gained in confidence in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after three of the party’s 10 winning Lok Sabha candidates hailed from the minority community.
But the SP leaders are of the views that the party being part of the Opposition alliance, the Indian National Developmental and Inclusive Alliance, may be looked upon by the minority community favourably in the Lok Sabha elections. However, Mayawati has also opened her cards by stating in her last press conference that the leaders of the Opposition block should not exceedingly criticize her party as no one knows whose support may be needed in future.
Mayawati is drawing confidence from the fact that the Muslim voters cannot ignore the BSP because the party has a strong hold on the 18 per cent Dalit vote base. The BSP leaders argue that the party candidates will be in winning positions in several parliamentary constituencies where the Dalit-Muslim vote base total more than 40 per cent. There are several parliamentary constituencies in the western parts of the state where Dalit-Muslim vote base is decisive in the elections.
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