The decision of the Samajwadi Party to maintain equidistance from the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presidential election has thrown a spanner in the unity of the opposition parties.
The term of President Ram Nath Kovind is ending on July 25 and the process of the presidential election has to be completed before that.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav had recently announced that his party would neither support a BJP candidate nor a Congress nominee in the upcoming polls. The SP move is likely to benefit the BJP.
"Our party leadership is of the opinion that the Samajwadi Party should maintain equal distance from the BJP and the Congress in the presidential election,” said SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary on Saturday.
The Samajwadi Party decision is seen as a clear message to the Congress to not mess with its internal matters.
Sources said that Akhilesh Yadav had taken strong exception to Acharya Pramod Krishnam's recent meeting with senior SP MLA Mohammad Azam Khan in Sitapur jail. The SP is also not happy over the statement of the Congress leader inviting Azam Khan to join the Congress.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is in a comfortable position to see its nominee through in the presidential poll. For the Congress, the presidential election will be a big opportunity to position itself as the main challenger to the BJP in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The support of the Samajwadi Party and other opponents of the BJP is crucial for the Congress for this end.
As the electoral college which elects the president comprises all members of both Houses of parliament and MLAs from all the states, the SP will be a noticeable player. Presently, the SP and its allies have 125 MLAs, 16 MLCs and eight MPs (both Houses).
Interestingly, none of the Samajwadi Party allies have so far made any comment on SP's decision on presidential election. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), according to sources, is 'uncomfortable' with SP's posture.
“You need to take a stand in politics and cannot always queer the pitch. We do not understand what SP wants but we will take a decision at the appropriate time," said a senior RLD leader. The RLD has eight MLAs in the UP assembly.
The Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) is also an ally of the Samajwadi Party with six legislators and its president Om Prakash Rajbhar is also maintaining a studied silence on the issue.
Meanwhile, according to sources, a section of senior legislators of the SP is also against the decision announced by Akhilesh Yadav. These legislators are apparently waiting for Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav to decide his stand on the issue and may eventually go with him.
A senior SP MLA said, "In politics, we cannot build castles in the air. We have to go either with the Congress or the BJP because we are not in a position to influence the outcome of the presidential election. Our leadership is not even negotiating with other non-BJP parties on the issue."
The Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), meanwhile, have been reduced to the status of non-players in the presidential election in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress has just two members in the state assembly, while the BSP has one.