Even before launch, Mahagathbandhan in soup

Hyderabad: The proposed Mahagathbandan (grand alliance) against the BJP at national level has run into a wall even before its launch. 

The grand alliance has divided into two groups. Uttar Pradesh former Chief Ministers Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati of the Bahujan Samajwadi Party, and former Union Minister Ajit Singh of the RLD have formed an alliance and will contest separately in next year’s Lok Sabha elections. 

The Trinamul, too, has ruled out a pre-poll alliance with the Congress but has kept its post-poll options open. 

The three parties have decided to share the Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. 

The Trinamul, too, has ruled out any possibility of a pre-poll alliance with the Congress but has kept its post-poll options open. 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had recently held discussions with all these parties on the formation of a grand alliance against the BJP at national level. The decision of the SP, BSP and RLD, to from a separate alliance, is thus surprising. 

In the three-party alliance, out of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the SP will contest in 37 seats and BSP will contest in 38 seats. 

Ajit Singh’s RLD will contest three seats. This alliance has decided not to field any candidates from Amethi, which is represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, or from Rai Barelli which is represented by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. 

According to sources, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati are angry with the Congress for its attitude towards their parties in the recent elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. They feel that an alliance with the Congress in UP will only help the Congress. 

BSP leader Anubhav Chak said that there is no question of an alliance with the Congress. He said even though the Congress has performed well in the recent Assembly elections, there won’t be any pressure on the BSP to accommodate Congress in the alliance for 2019 in UP.

Meanwhile, senior leader and minister of the Trinamul, Subrata Mukherjee, ruled out any possibility of a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in the parliamentary elections. 

“Right now we will do whatever is needed to defeat the BJP; we will fight it alone,” he said. Reacting to this, Abdul Mannan of the Congress wondered who has asked the Trinamul to ally with the Congress. “Did we ask them to ally with us? We want to fight alone in West Bengal. Aligning with the Trinamul Congress has always been a disaster,” he said.