RAIPUR: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati's move is seen more as tactical one to strike a pre-poll alliance with the regional outfit Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) floated by the former chief minister Ajit Jogi to gain greater footprint in terms of vote share.
This, according to the political pundits, is aimed to enable the BSP to retain its stature as the national party. The Election Commission of India recognised the BSP as a national party in 2013 but the party's performance actually couldn't improve from 2014 onwards.
"Mayawati knew that the BSP can improve good chunk of vote percentage only if it gets respectable seats from any influential party in poll-bound states, the calculated step can also facilitate to accomplish the target. The Congress was nowhere in a mood to part more than 5-6 seats, which was in all likelihood spoil the BSP's chances to get anywhere close to her expectations her party needed", said the political observer Ashok Tomar.
The BSP leaders are working zealously to improve its vote percentage. The party faces a twin challenge - get the party leaders elected to the House and simultaneously retain recognition as the national party, for which the BSP requires at least 7 per cent votes.
The BSP though in the previous three polls held so far didn't get over 6 per cent votes and in 2013 polls the party got little over four per cent when the BSP contested in all 90 Assembly constituencies. So the party needs to increase the gain by around three per cent.
In the upcoming polls the BSP is contesting in 35 seats and it gave weightage during the distribution of tickets to those who seemingly have strong acceptance among the masses. Offering tickets to Richa-a daughter-in-law of Ajit Jogi, Gitanjali Patel, Vyas Kashyap and other capable candidates was an effort in that direction.
JCC(J)-BSP-CPI pre-poll pact is the biggest alliance so far witnessed in Chhattisgarh elections and is poised to change the political scenario in an election year.