Athawale believes SP-BSP alliances wont last for long

NPnews24Online NEW DELHI:  Ever since the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders announced their alliance, in which each party would contest 38 seats (76 of the 80 seats) in the upcoming national polls, many have had various opinions on the alliances.

The impact of the SB-BSP alliance, and why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken recent decisions from bringing in a significant constitutional amendment to introduce reservations for economically weaker sections to announcing a cow cess and promising cow shelters for strays is visible in the cities, towns and villages of Uttar Pradesh.

Now, the Union Minister, Ramdas Athawale recalled Mayawati’s earlier poll victories with BJP’s support and has suggested that the BSP chief should join hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as tie-up with SP “will not give desired electoral gains they are expecting.”

“Mayawati became Uttar Pradesh chief minister thrice with BJP’s support. The BSP cadre knows well that the alliance with the SP will not give desired electoral gains in the Lok Sabha polls. Instead of the SP, Mayawati should again join hands with the BJP,” He said. Athawale also insisted that “internal contradictions” with Akhilesh Yadav’s party will not let alliance last long.

“Reports from various parts of Uttar Pradesh suggest that SP and BSP supporters were unhappy with the tie-up.” Athawale’s Republican Party of India (RPI) is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.

He also condemned BJP lawmaker Sadhna Singh’s critical remarks on Mayawati, saying that such personal comments should not be made.

Athawale further added that RPI has requested BJP president Amit Shah to allot it three Lok Sabha seats in UP, where the BJP won 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2014, to mobilise Dalits in support of the NDA. RPI is seen to have support among Dalits even as the BSP has a strong base within the community.