Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party camaraderie to be tested in Uttar Pradesh rural civic polls

Going by the buzz in political circles, SP and BSP are contemplating to support a common opposition candidate against the one supported by BJP.

Image for representation. (File photo | AP)

LUCKNOW: Opposition in Uttar Pradesh, led by Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), is using every chance to test the camaraderie and unity ahead of the battle royale in 2019.

SP-BSP unity will again be tested in the upcoming by-elections to rural local bodies on August 17 in the state. Going by the buzz in political circles, SP and BSP are contemplating to support a common opposition candidate against the one supported by BJP. Senior leaders in both the parties claimed that the final decision in this regard would be made shortly.

Notably, by-polls are due for 170 seats of gram pradhan, 2,978 of gram sabha members, 198 of members, kshetra panchayat and 11 of Zila panchayat members. In fact, elections to rural local bodies are not contested on party symbol and hence parties lend their support to contesting candidates.

Experts said that performance of candidates supported by various political parties in rural areas could be a reflection of their respective clout at the grass root level ahead of Lok Sabha elections due next year. However, the political observers feel that it could pose a big challenge once again for the ruling party as both the SP and BSP have a considerable support base in villages.

BJP, on the other hand, has been making all-out efforts to woo the rural voters through the implementation of various Central government welfare schemes, including Ujjwala (free gas connection), Saubhagya (free electricity connections) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Besides, the BJP's organisational machinery has been in an overdrive through people contact programmes in the form of Gram Chaupal scheme wherein the grievances of villagers are addressed by the ministers and senior party functionaries then and there.

After their dismal performance in leas Assembly elections, both SP and BSP, once arch-rivals, joined hands against the saffron surge and got fruitful results in Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Kairana Lok Sabha by-polls. Buoyed by the by-poll success, now both the parties are confabulating to be in an alliance for 2019 general elections to defeat the BJP at the Centre. However, the upcoming rural local body polls will give both the sides an opportunity to test the waters.