Lucknow, (Samajweekly) In what can be termed as an example of changing political alignments in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has said that the political situation on the ground was turning “perceptibly favourable” towards the Congress which is now required to lead the INDIA bloc from the front.
UP RLD President Ramashish Rai said, “Not only political but non-political people from all walks of life have started speaking about the Congress. This is a stark change which we all are observing and acknowledging, at least in UP. The Congress, therefore, will have to lead the opposition bloc.”
He said that the minority population too appeared supportive of the Congress.
“The return of Imran Masood in Congress fold could further bolster its footprints among the minorities, especially in west UP,” he said.
This is the first time in recent years that the RLD has spoken appreciatively of the Congress.
Rai added that the Congress stood a good chance of regaining the status it had in Uttar Pradesh in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when the Congress had won 21 seats, while the SP and BSP had won 23 and 20 seats, respectively. The BJP and RLD, got 10 and five seats, respectively.
The RLD statement assumed significance amid SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav’s bid to emerge as the key player of the opposition front and the most potent rival of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
This also comes days after Akhilesh asserted that it would be his party which would be in the position of taking key decisions in distribution of seats to INDIA constituents, primarily RLD and Congress, ahead of the next year’s general elections.
Sources said that the RLD has been taking ground level feedback from its functionaries to ascertain the emerging political situation in the aftermath of opposition parties coming together against the BJP.
According to sources, a number of Muslim leaders in RLD have suggested to the party leadership that neglecting Congress at the cost of SP would not be a fair idea and may go against party’s bid to consolidate the minority community.
According to experts, RLD’s electoral ground underwent a sharp erosion after its core Jat voters developed strained relations with the Muslim community during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal riots.
RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary has been organising Bhaichara sammelans to ease the tension between the Jats with Muslims who, otherwise, have traditionally been voting in favour of the Samajwadi Party.
“RLD’s alliance with the SP is certainly strong but we also need to understand the pulse of the people,” a senior RLD leader said.
Jayant Chaudhary has maintained that the Congress presence was crucial to the opposition unity and that the Congress was “accommodative” enough to share political space with allies.
