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In what is an indication of the power struggle within the ‘Janata Parivar’, the Samajwadi Party, which does not have much of a stake in Bihar, has decided to contest all 243 seats in the poll-bound State.
The decision to break away from the electoral alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United) and the Congress was announced in Lucknow after the SP was offered five seats, their demand being 12. With elections not too far away, the top leadership of the alliance is attempting damage control .
JD(U) President Sharad Yadav said talks are on with SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Congress has also opened informal channels with SP to find a way out.
The break-up was announced by SP General Secretary Ramgopal Yadav after a meeting of the leaders of his party in Lucknow. “In Bihar, the party will contest separately. The bigger parties in the alliance did not consult us while declaring seats due to which the SP felt humiliated. This is not coalition dharma,” Yadav said.
‘Issues will be resolved’ Soon after that Sharad Yadav told reporters in Delhi that the problems would be solved amicably. “We have been colleagues for a long time. I have to talk to Mulayam Singh Yadav. I have talked to him once. I will talk to him again. We will resolve this finally,” Sharad Yadav said. He side-stepped questions on whether the BJP was trying to create a rift between the Janata Parivar partners.
The BJP is pitched in a tough battle with the Janata Parivar in Bihar. The election is considered a prestige fight for the BJP leadership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun attending rallies across the State. He had also announced that the State would be brought on to the path of development if the BJP is voted to power.
The RJD-JD(U) combine has been raising a number of issues against the BJP government, including the decision to promulgate an Ordinance effecting amendments to the Land Acquisition Act. The Patel agitation in Gujarat is also being taken up against the BJP by the RJD-JD(U) combine. While a section in the combine believes the SP’s move has been instigated by the BJP, others see it as an inherent power tussle within the camp.
The term of the State Assembly ends in November. While the Janata alliance has completed the seat-sharing formula, the NDA is yet to announce its sharing pattern.
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