NEW DELHI: In the event of a split verdict in Lok Sabha elections, the pre-poll alliance would weigh high on President Ram Nath Kovind’s mind when he examines the issue of government formation at the Centre.
The BJP, which has gone with 37 allies, is counting on NDA’s large base of alliances to beat the Congress-led UPA in getting the presidential invite to form the government.
While the BJP claims to be winning 280-285 Lok Sabha seats on its own according to the internal assessment conducted through professional agencies, the party leaders noted that if there is a scenario where there’s split verdict the saffron outfit would still be in an advantageous position for having gone to the poll with the largest pre-poll alliance.
“President Kovind is a strict follower of the rule and precedents. We don’t expect him not to call the largest pre-poll alliance to form the government, hypothetically speaking on a hung Lok Sabha possibility. The alliance which gets the first call will be able to wean away fence-sitters,” said a BJP functionary.
The Congress-led UPA having been shunned by SP-BSP-RLD alliance in UP could rue for not having made attempts to form a pan-India pre-poll alliance against the NDA, noted the BJP functionary.
“With the UPA not gaining allies in UP, the outfit is weakened, leaving a number of formidable regional outfits out of the umbrella to counter the NDA. The BJP, in contrast, gave space to allies in states like Bihar and Maharashtra with clear aims that the NDA should remain a robust alliance,” noted the BJP functionary.