Uttar Pradesh has always been a witness to strong-arm politics over past years. A major chunk of seats make the most populous Indian state a matter of importance for the parties. The state has also seen instances where political parties have surpassed all bounds of morality and ethics bringing shame to Indian political culture.
SP-BSP alliance, born out of desperation to save political ground from the BJP, has ignored and completely failed to address the traditional rivalry between the two parties’ supporters. While the alliance’s numbers may look good enough to drown the BJP wave, after the saffron party’s massive victory in 2014 general elections and 2017 assembly elections, however ground realities put up a completely different story.
Traditionally SP and BSP voters in UP have been at the opposite ends of the spectrum, with both parties demonizing the opposition to garner electoral steam. Various incidents, as UP undergoes the 2019 general elections, have surfaced which substantiate doubts of similar nature. A video has surfaced where SP supporters are seen removing BSP flags during a political event involving SP leaders.
This comes in the backdrop where experts have claimed that the BSP votes going to the SP and vice versa might not be as smooth as expected. With long history of hostility between SP and BSP voters, the expected transfer of votes might not materialize.
Amit Shah, in an interview given to Republic TV, had also indicated towards the same. On SP-BSP alliance in UP he said-
“Whenever two parties get in a coalition and this gets in contradiction, the supporters of the coalition, the parties’ supporters get into contradiction”
“There is a big contradiction between the two parties; there has been a big contradiction in their vote banks. These two parties have contested against each other in Panchayat elections, in Municipal elections and in Vidhan Sabha elections”
“I am telling you now that the vote of contradiction of these two parties is more than 15%. Believe me on this, their voters will not vote for each other. This is from my experience. I have visited all UP’s constituencies and I know every equation and I am telling you there is more than 15% contradiction vote. You see the estimates of these two and check what happens after results. As I said, they don’t have any important issues”
This alliance between SP and BSP is surely not going down well with the rural voters, who have been perpetually pitted against each other but now suddenly have been asked to vote in unity with each other, the SP supporters to the BSP and the BSP supporters to the SP.
SP and BSP are now a part of the Mahagathbandhan in UP and irrespective of their dark and mucky pasts, Mayawati has decided to ignore all her past insults at the hands of SP leaders. The recent video also points towards the failure of the alliance to consolidate the votes of their respective supporters. Even the left-media nexus also seem to be rooting for this ‘unholy’ alliance. Ultimately, seeing all that has happened, it is clear that this alliance is more of a ‘compulsion for survival’ than a ‘newfound friendship’.