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Wary BSP still mulling poll alliance with Congress

PCC chief Sachin Pilot on Tuesday gave an indication regarding alliance after meeting senior party leaders in New Delhi.

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Congress bid to form pre-poll alliance with BSP on ‘respectable and practical formula’ could be derailed as the BSP does not seem to be in a mood to compromise the ‘seat-sharing’ formula at any cost. PCC chief Sachin Pilot on Tuesday gave an indication regarding alliance after meeting senior party leaders in New Delhi. 

“We are discussing alliance with all parties. Like minded and secular parties are in talks with us. The alliance with parties will be ‘respectable and responsible’. It may be both pre and post poll alliance,” said Pilot while replying to a question on alliance with BSP.

Talks between high commands of both the parties are on for a last couple of months. Many senior leaders in Congress want to forge pre-poll alliance with Mayawati’s party in order to up the numbers easily in the upcoming Assembly elections.

A few within the Congress, though, have suggested to the party high command, to forge alliance post election as pre alliance would send a message of a ‘needy’ Congress. Also, under pre-poll alliance formula the bargaining of seat sharing could turn many leaders rebel as they will be denied tickets. 

In BSP too leaders want an alliance with Congress but the sad memories of 2008 still haunt them. Back then Gehlot government was formed with support of six BSP MLAs who supported Congress which had scored 96 seats and was 5 short of majority mark in the house of 200. The BSP had lost representation in the House after its MLAs joined Congress.

Hence, the BSP this time wants an alliance on its terms. “The talks are on over the alliance. As our leader Mayawati said that we will form alliance with Congress when we get ‘respectable’ seats. If Congress gives us less seats then there would be no alliance, she has clarified. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, BSP is very strong. In Chhattisragh we have already forged alliance with Ajeet Jogi’s Janata Congress Chhattisgarh   (JCC),” said Devilal Mahalana, BSP state office incharge while reacting to the development.

Congress has begun internal consultations on state-specific alliances for the upcoming Assembly polls and also the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A committee on alliances, which includes senior leaders such as AK Antony, Ashok Gehlot, Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad, are mulling possibility of tie-ups in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Karnataka, Odisha, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. 

Blast From Past

In BSP the leaders also want alliance with Congress but the sad memories of 2008 still haunt them. At that time the Gehlot government could be formed with support of 6 BSP MLA who supported Congress which scored 96 seats, 5 less than a majority mark in the house of 200.

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