SP-BSP tieup in UP was a trial', claims Akhilesh Yadav
The Rashtriya Lok Dal's UP president, Mr Masood Ahmad, however, expressed the hope that the Mahagathbandhan would remain intact.
New Delhi: Convulsions continued within the SP-BSP RLD “Mahagathbandhan” on Wednesday with the Rashtriya Lok Dal now saying it was ready to go solo in the coming Assembly byelections in Uttar Pradesh.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, on the other hand, now described the tieup as a “trial” and said it may not always have been successful, but it helped in finding out the shortcomings.
On Tuesday, shortly after BSP chief Mayawati declared her party would fight the Assembly bypolls on its own, Mr Yadav had said if this was the situation, then even his party was ready to go solo.
“Yes, there are trials, and sometimes you are not successful, but at least you know your shortcomings,” the SP chief told the media. He said that he respected Ms Mayawati irrespective of the political equation between their two parties. “As far as going solo in the bypolls is concerned, I will consult with party leaders and devise a strategy to work in this direction.”
The Rashtriya Lok Dal’s UP president, Mr Masood Ahmad, however, expressed the hope that the “Mahagathbandhan” would remain intact. “The Rashtriya Lok Dal will fight the UP Assembly bypolls on its own whenever they are held. However, it’s too early to comment on the political scene in the state,” he said.
RLD chief Chaudhary Ajit Singh and Jayant Chaudhary will decide on the number of seats the party will contest and the matter may be discussed during a meeting in the next few days, Mr Ahmad added.
The UP RLD chief said the Congress should also be a part of the “Mahagathbandhan”. It may be recalled that in the just-ended Lok Sabha elections, the RLD fought from three constituencies, but faced defeat in all.
The BJP won 62 of the state’s 80 Lok Sabha seats while the Opposition alliance won just 15, with the BSP getting 10 and the SP five. The Congress got one seat and BJP ally Apna Dal (S) two seats.
Eleven Assembly bypolls are due in UP after the MLAs in those seats won the Lok Sabha polls. Nine of them are from the BJP, and one each from the BSP and SP.