Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav might have ditched the Grand Alliance in Bihar, but his “samdhi” lalu Prasad has decided to respect the family bonds and bat for the SP in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. On the other hand, Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal(U) is all set to enter into some sort of electoral understanding with the Congress in the State.
Sources in the RJD said that lalu is likely to campaign aggressively for the SP with the clear aim to consolidate the Muslim-Yadav votes. The RJD chief has no interest in joining hands with the Congress and is of the view that the Grand Alliance of Bihar was a State-specific pact, a party leader said.
Sources said that lalu feels that if the SP could keep intact its hold over the MY combination, then given the four-cornered contest in UP the ruling party would enjoy a decisive edge in the contest that will have major bearing on the 2019 lok Sabha polls as well. Muslims constitute nearly 20 per cent of the UP population and Brahmins make up for 13 per cent.
Sources said that lalu, who has maintained a low profile after the Grand Alliance trounced the BJP in Bihar, is preparing to undertake whirlwind tour of UP. He is expected to focus mainly on asking Muslim voters to recognise the threat posed by the BJP and ensure that the party does not repeat its lok Sabha performance in the Assembly polls.
In its bid to prevent the division of the Muslim votes, the RJD chief is expected to remind the voters that BSP chief Mayawati could once again join hands with the BJP in case of a fractured verdict whereas the Congress is too weak to pose any meaningful challenge to the BJP.
lalu may have his own reasons to shun the Congress. Sources said the RJD leader is of the opinion that the Brahmin-centric campaign of the Congress will harm the BJP, which in turn will boost the prospect of the SP.
As part of the anti-BJP strategy, the presence of JD(U) in the fray will cut into the votes of extremely backward castes and kurmis, which once again could harm the prospect of the BJP. The JD(U) is expected to join hands with the Congress and bring on one platform breakaway faction of the Apna Dal and Peace Party.
With lalu and Nitish Kumar all set to go all out in UP, and Prashant Kishor preparing the fine print of Congress electoral strategy, it is clear that warriors of Bihar are set to dominate the battle of UP.