Arithmetic progression

Looking to consolidate Muslim votes, SP and Congress have joined hands for the parliamentary polls. RADHIKA RAMASESHAN explains what it means for their LS prospects

The Samajwaul rally (or) as fact sents of electoral defeats in Uttar Pradesh starting with the 2012 Assembly polls until 2022 state elections. Though it increased its seat count from 47 to 110 in the most recent poll, the party has lost two allies -- the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) both of which have since joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The SBSP and the RLD, in themselves, are not exactly powerful entities, nonetheless, they brought value to the SP's table by adding their caste-derived votes in eastern and western UP.

The SP's nomination of three candidates for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections on February 27 has caused internal strife. Pallavi Patel of Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), an ally leader, publicly accused SP chief Akhilesh Yadav of reneging on his commitment to the "PDA (pichada, dalit, alpasankhyak)" cause by choosing two nominees actor Jaya Bachchan and former bureaucrat Alok Ranjan - who are not linked either to backward castes or Dalits or minorities. The third, Ramji Lal Suman, an ex-Dalit MP of Hathras, was the exception. Pallavi queered the pitch for the SP after declaring that she would vote against the SP's "deceit".

Looking to consolidato Muslim votos CD and Congress have içined Saleem Shervani, the SP's national general secretary and former Badaun MP, resigned from his post, alleging that Yadav had done "nothing" for Muslims.