The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who have traditionally been political rivals in the state of Uttar Pradesh, announced their decision to form an alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha election on Saturday.
The state of Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, the largest number from a single state. It is for this reason that the alliance holds a lot of importance for all political parties.
In 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept away all its rivals as it went on to win 71 seats out of the total 80 in the state. This year, however, it may not be as straightforward as it was five years ago.
Despite poor results in the recent elections, the two parties – SP and BSP remain popular in the state. What must be noted, though, is that they have excluded Rahul Gandhi-led Congress from this pre-poll alliance.
Also Read: “Save Democracy”, Says Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu As TDP Forms An Alliance With Congress
Interestingly, Mayawati even went on to slam Congress while Akhilesh Yadav refrained from commenting against the party. At the same time, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said in an event in Dubai that he had “tremendous respect” for both Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav.
Thus, the possibility of Congress joining hands with the SP-BSP alliance cannot be ruled out completely.
Here is more on how the SP-BSP alliance will impact the 2019 Lok Sabha election:
Do you think the alliance is strong enough to defeat Modi’s BJP? Let us know in the comments below.
Sources: Indian Express, India Today, The Wire + more
Image Credits: Google Images
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