In Uttar Pradesh, this time the Samajwadi Party will fight elections under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav. Sources in the party say Mulayam Singh Yadav will take a step back, allowing his son to handle everything — from candidate selection to campaigning strategy.
This, it is being speculated, is being done under a specific strategy. Mulayam doesn’t want any senior party member to interfere in strategy matters. Sources say Mulayam wants to give a message that he is not doing anything and is just sitting idle. This has in turn supposedly strengthened Akhilesh’s leadership.
It is being said that none of Mulayam’s old friends or colleagues are a part of Akhilesh’s core team. If this strategy becomes successful, then veteran leaders such as Azam Khan, Ram Gopal Yadav, and Ambika Chaudhary will not play an important role in UP elections.
Shivpal Singh Yadav is the only family member who will remain with Akhilesh as they share a good rapport. From the names of candidates for Rajya Sabha elections, it will become clear how far they will succeed. If either Amar Singh or Jaya Prada get a ticket, it will become clear that Akhilesh and Shivpal hold the reins, which sources in SP are confident of.
AllIANCE TAlES FROM ASSAM
What could not happen in Assam before polling is being attempted afterwards. Right from the Congress to left and Nitish Kumar had before the election process tried to form a grand alliance with Prafulla Kumar Mahanta’s Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Badruddin Ajmal’s party, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), but that could not be possible. Now, after polling, they are trying for the same grand alliance.
Sources say Congress leaders are trying to woo both alliance partners of the BJP. Recently, during a two-day conference, Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) gave an indication that it can move to some other alliance, leaving the BJP. After that Congress leaders became active. BPF had fought 2011 elections with the Congress and the former was also a part of the Gogoi Government. So, the Congress will not hesitate in talking to BPF.
It is being said that Congress leaders are also in touch with Mahanta. On the other hand, Ajmal is also in contact with BPF and AGP. Talks are also apparently going on between the Congress and Ajmal’s party. Himanta Biswa Sarma, former Congress leader who is now in the BJP, is said to be on a counter mission.
NITISH’S PAN-INDIA AGENDA
Nitish Kumar is taking forward his agenda of liquor prohibition and has made it a pan-India strategy. Outside Bihar, he has started pushing for the ban in Jharkhand. He organised a function in Dhanbad and demanded a ban on liquor in the State. It must be noted that former CM of Jharkhand, Babulal Marandi, is merging his party JVM with JDU. In that scenario, Nitish and Marandi will both campaign for liquor ban in Jharkhand.
Uttar Pradesh is the next target of Nitish. Today, a function on liquor ban is scheduled in lucknow. To make it successful, leaders of Bihar have been roped in. KC Tyagi and RCP Singh, MPs of JDU, have made a blueprint for this event. Nitish is ostensibly planning to push his agenda in a big way.
Some say he has also got an invitation from Rajasthan. Some organisations have said that he must campaign against liquor in Rajasthan also. Delhi is also on Nitish’s radar and something big is being planned for the National Capital. Nitish will go to Punjab too to take his campaign forward.
A party leader says a serious message is being spread that Nitish is the only leader after Gandhi who is fighting social evils. For the next three years, he will pursue this campaign and then he will be presented as a Prime Minister candidate, it is being said.
CONG’S lOK SABHA WOES
The Congress is currently in a very bad condition in lok Sabha. The party neither has any veteran leader nor any good Speaker. Worse, it is also struggling with finding alliance partners.
So, one Parliament Session after another, the performance of the Congress is deteriorating in lok Sabha. Jyotiraditya Scindia recently gave a speech on AgustaWestland deal but could be seen struggling to express himself in Hindi.
Sources in the Congress say that neither can the number of MPs in lok Sabha be increased before the term of the House is complete nor can good spokespersons can be brought in like in Rajya Sabha. So, the Congress needs alliance partners that can help it against the Government.
Under political compulsions, the Congress has made the three biggest parties of lok Sabha — AIADMK, Biju Janata Dal and All India Trinamool Congress — its opponents. And now the BJP is getting the benefit.
In fact, all veterans and good orators of the Congress are in Rajya Sabha. Mallikarjun Kharge is the leader of the Congress in lok Sabha, but he is eyeing the Chief Minister post of Karnataka. Captain Amarinder Singh had been made the deputy leader in lok Sabha, but he is now busy in the Punjab battle. Hence, several times, the Congress seems to be without any command in lok Sabha.
Of course, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the chief whip of the party, can often be seen huffing and puffing in lok Sabha. That is why Congress leaders feel that if the party has to give an apt reply to the BJP, a strong and impactful deputy leader is needed, and cooperation with some of the anti-BJP parties is also the need of the hour.
SP’S RAJYA SABHA CANDIDATES
This year, 11 seats of Rajya Sabha are going to be vacated from Uttar Pradesh. Of these, seven seats will go to the Samajwadi Party. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will get two seats, and the Congress and BJP will get one each.
Barring Samajwadi Party, all three parties have finalised names of their candidates. Sources say Satish Chandra Mishra and Ambeth Rajan will be sent to Rajya Sabha again. Mishra is the closest ally of Mayawati and Rajan is the treasurer of the party.
Similarly, the name of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is decided for a BJP ticket. The Congress has also finalised its candidate, and Satish Sharma might be sent to Rajya Sabha. Though this is also true that to make him win, the Congress has to arrange four votes. The party will try to take the support of either Rashtriya lok Dal (RlD), Peace Party of India or Independent MlAs.
The real game lies with seven seats of Samajwadi Party. People from all over the country are lobbying for these seats. It is said that owners of news channels are also hobnobbing with Samajwadi Party. One-time MP of Samajwadi Party and close to Mulayam’s heart, Amar Singh, might also be given a ticket for Rajya Sabha.
There are also speculations that former actress Jaya Prada can be sent to Rajya Sabha. Names of some of the leaders were struck off by Governor Ram Naik from the list from which members were to be nominated to Uttar Pradesh’s legislative Assembly. Now, some of them can also be given tickets for Rajya Sabha.
WHY lAlU MET BABA RAMDEV
Recently, lalu Prasad Yadav exhibited his political understanding when he met Baba Ramdev. In Bihar, many people believe that lalu met the controversial yoga guru only to consolidate his Yadav vote bank. lalu was under tremendous pressure from his own supporters that he should not oppose Ramdev.
Not long ago, lalu had claimed that Ramdev puts bone powder in his ayurvedic medicines. But now his opinion seems to have changed. Now, lalu has become the brand ambassador for Baba’s products.
lalu’s second high profile meeting was with BJP’s Nitin Gadkari. He had gone to meet Gadkari with his son Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Public Works Department (PWD) Minister of Bihar. After this meeting, lalu claimed that Gadkari had called him, but sources say that lalu had himself expressed his desire to come to Gadkari’s place along with his son.
However, it doesn’t matter who called who and who took the initiative; it is important that both meetings gave a different message in Bihar’s politics. A Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader said Nitish used to meet Arun Jaitley whenever he came to Delhi, and lalu met Gadkari in the same manner.
leaders of Bihar emphasise the fact that Z category security of lalu is still intact. This is almost certain that lalu will not go with the BJP, but there is no doubt that after these two high profile meetings, he has sent a strong message to Nitish.