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NATION JANUARY 26, 2024 | The Indian Eye 8

In all-important state of UP, Akhilesh and

Mayawati may dampen INDIA bloc’s hope

BSP president Mayawati decides to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls alone; Congress says BSP

chief should have taken the current political scenario into account

OUR BUREAU
New Delhi/Lucknow
n a further setback to the INDIA
bloc, former Uttar Pradesh Chief
IMinister Akhilesh Yadav on Fri-
day announced the Samajwadi Par-
ty’s (SP) alliance with Jayant Chaud-
hary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for
the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The SP supremo tweeted on Friday,
“Congratulations to everyone on the
Rashtriya Lok Dal-SP alliance. Let us
all unite for victory!” Akhilesh Yadav
posted on X on Friday.
According to the party sources,
RLD will fight in alliance on 7 to 8
seats on most of the seats in Western
UP.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Con-
gress held a seat-sharing meeting
with Samajwadi Party leaders in Del-
hi. Congress leader Salman Khurshid
said, “...We’ve shared details of each
seat with each other...I hope that the
alliance happens before the (Bharat
Jodo Nyay) Yatra reaches Uttar
Pradesh.”
The Congress is holding Congress MP Rahul Gandhi travels on a boat across the Brahmaputra River from Nimati Ghat, Jorhat to Majuli,
seat-sharing talks with all its alliance during the party’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, on Friday (ANI)
partners before launching the cam-
paign for the Lok Sabha polls.
INDIA or ‘Indian National De- en phases between April 11 and May tions. If the remaining 62.2 percent the country want to form an alliance
velopmental Inclusive Alliance’ is a 19, in which around 67 per cent of vote would have united, then we with BSP. An alliance can be consid-
group of opposition parties, includ- the nearly 900 million eligible people could have limited BJP to 100 seats. ered after the elections. If possible,
ing the Congress. The parties have exercised their franchise to elect 542 It was needed that all of us should BSP can extend its support after the
come together to take on the Na- members of the Lok Sabha. have contested elections together. elections. Our party will fight the
tional Democratic Alliance (NDA), Meanwhile, After BSP presi- However, when we form government elections all alone,” she said.
which is led by the Bharatiya Janata dent Mayawati’s announcement of after the elections, she (Mayawati) She also refuted the claims that
Party (BJP), and prevent it from win- contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be welcomed into the alliance, she may take a retirement from pol-
ning a third straight term at the Cen- alone, Congress leader Pramod Ti- depending on the conditions at that itics, saying that she will continue to
tre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. wari said on Monday that the BSP time,” he added. work to strengthen her party. “Last
As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections chief should have taken the current BSP chief Mayawati on Monday month, I declared Akash Anand
draw near, India’s political landscape political scenario into account in or- reiterated her party’s stand for the as my political successor, following
is undergoing a significant reshuf- der to defeat BJP. “BSP chief May- 2024 Lok Sabha election and said which it was speculated in the media
fling. The emerging INDIA (Indian awati has refused to join the INDIA that her party will contest the polls that I may soon retire from politics.
National Developmental Inclusive alliance before the elections. She alone. Addressing a press conference However, I want to clarify that it’s
Alliance) consortium is gearing up to said that she would have a post-poll here, the BSP chief said that her par- not the case, and I will continue to
challenge the NDA, setting the stage alliance but today’s political scenar- ty may consider about alliance once work towards strengthening the par-
for an electoral showdown. io is such that all opposition parties the elections are over. ty,” she said.
Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha should have come together to fight “Our experience with alliances The BSP chief exhorted party
elections, the NDA won 353 seats, against BJP,” said Pramod Tiwari. has never been beneficial for us and leaders and workers to “work with
the UPA stood at 91, and Others won “BJP got just 37.8 percent of we suffer more losses from alliances. full strength to help the BSP get a fa-
98. The voting was staggered in sev- votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elec- For this reason, most of the parties in vorable verdict” in the 2024 election.

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