When Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about ‘khichdi’ coalition in Azamgarh on Thursday, eyebrows were raised because in this crucial political region, caste plays an important role and the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders know what is cooking.
Modi told people not to vote for a ‘khichdi’ coalition because that would bring anarchy and instability in the country. In his almost 50-minute speech, Modi concentrated on ‘gathbandhans’ of different shape and size and even suggested that UP’s mahamilavati gathbandhan (adulterated alliance) will join hands with Congress-led gathbandhan.
He said: “We have to be cautious of the gathbandhan. These people have done nothing but destabilise Indian polity. A few years back, there was an alliance and you know how corrupt it was.”
The reference was of course of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government which was supported by Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party from outside. In this election Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal have formed an alliance in UP while Congress has a biggest pan-India alliance with regional parties. As Congress president Rahul Gandhi knows that he will need support of Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav in forming the next government, he is soft towards them in his election speeches.
Probably, Modi knows what is cooking in Uttar Pradesh and therefore he delved on the disadvantages of ‘khichdi’ government in his speeches. Even the result of the last general election shows that the going will be very tough for the BJP in the coming phases. Elections for 27 constituencies in UP will be held in the next two phases on May 12 and 19 out of which 14 will go to polls on Sunday next.
In these 14 seats, Mulayam Singh Yadav prevented a BJP clean sweep as he won the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat in 2014. A close scrutiny shows that in all these 14 constituencies, the vote share of SP and BSP combine was more than that of BJP. Only in Pratapgarh, from where BJP’s ally Apna Dal won the election, it polled more votes than SP-BSP combine.
The constituencies going to polls in the sixth phase are: Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Shravasti, Dumariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Machhlishahr and Bhadohi.
The BJP knows that this time too the arithmetic is against it. The SP-BSP alliance is bound to get more votes. Political pundits even suggest that out of the 14 constituencies going to polls on May 12, the alliance bag 8-10 seats because of the unity of coalition parties. Therefore, the BJP seems to have changed its strategy. The prime minister in his speeches has started talking about how Mayawati has taken Akhilesh for a ride. This is an attempt to drive a wedge in the coalition.
Akhilesh and Mayawati have reacted fast to dispel any misgiving, sending the message loud and clear that the coalition stands united.
“The coalition will last till we send the ‘Baba’ back to mutt,” Akhilesh Yadav said his in rally in Dumariyaganj on Thursday in a clear reference to Yogi Adityanath as it is believed that if BJP loses drastically in UP there will be a change in leadership.