LUCKNOW, Mar 18: Hoping to capture a big victory in the Lok Sabha elections, Uttar Pradesh’s ruling BJP is working to keep its team of small parties together by offering them tempting deals where it can and lending a sympathetic ear to their demands.
With the Lok Sabha elections beginning next month, the ruling party in the state plans to challenge the SP-BSP-RLD with help from its allies Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and Apna Dal (S).
Smaller parties with sizeable vote banks are gaining traction in the politically-crucial state, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats, explained a party insider. It was keeping this factor in mind that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently gave minister of state (MoS) rank to 75 leaders of his party and allies to keep them in good humour.
“The backing from smaller parties will prove to be the icing on the cake. These parties have considerable vote banks that can help our party in consolidating its position,” a party functionary, requesting anonymity, said.
Although the Bharatiya Janata Party was on a comfortable footing in 2014, the 2019 general elections might be a different ball game, party leaders said. Even RSS leaders reportedly admitted that the caste challenge posed by the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) combine is formidable. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, these parties had a combined vote share of 42.98 per cent, while the BJP clocked 42.63 per cent. The BJP got 71 seats and the Apna Dal two. (PTI)
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