Even as the next lok Sabha elections are over a year away, the Samajwadi Party has set the ball rolling for the crucial democratic exercise.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav has convened a meeting of the party MlAs, prominent party leaders including those from frontal outfits and all candidates constesting the 2017 Assembly elections on January 8.
Party leaders from those Assembly segments have also been invited where the Samajwadi Party allowed coalition partner Congress to field its candidates in 2017 Assembly poll. The SP had left over 110 seats for the Congress but the latter could win only seven seats.
Samajwadi Party sources said that all parties have started preparations so they did not want to be left out. Moreover the elections of urban local bodies were over month ago and the party intended to deploy its rank and file for the 2019 general elections.
SP sources said that party president Akhilesh Yadav would also dispel confusion among leaders over the prospect of a grand alliance for 2019 lok Sabha elections. SP, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party are expected to enter into an electoral understanding or form a grand alliance to take on the BJP.
A senior SP leader said that since the Congress was the largest opposition party, it should come forward and work on the formula. The leader however said that the role of regional parties would be crucial to checkmate the BJP.
Citing instances of several states, the SP leader pointed out that in West Bengal it is Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, in Bihar it is lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) while in UP, the BJP will have to fight the SP and the BSP.
“The Samajwadi Party is determined to stop the BJP in UP. But we are not sure as to what shape the alliance will take and what will be the seat sharing formula among the three major parties. But we will do our best to give a tough fight to the BJP in the 2019 lok Sabha poll,’’ said the SP leader.
Though the Samajwadi party claims to be a national party, it’s conscious of the fact that its actual strength is confined only to Uttar Pradesh only.
Rs Rs The government in UP is a double engine government as the same party is in power at the Centre and the state. The Prime Minister is an MP from Varanasi, they have 325 MlAs in the UP Assembly, 73 MPs and 14 Mayors. They are in power everywhere, controlling all institutions, still no work has been done. If they can’t develop the state now, then when IJ” asked leader of opposition and SP leader Ram Govind Chaudhary.
“Th state of UP catapulted the BJP to power at the Centre. If they lose UP, they can not make up from anywhere. People will not have expectations from us as we are out of power. The only expectation from us will be to remove BJP from power and we are ready for it,” said Chaudhary.