New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have ruled out a pre-poll alliance for the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Speculations of a possible alliance between the two were going on for the last one month since SP chief Akhilesh Yadav met up with AAP’s Rajya Sabha member and in-charge of UP election campaign Sanjay Singh is in Lucknow on November 24.
Senior AAP and SP functionaries told ThePrint on Thursday that Singh and Yadav had met at least twice last month and that top leaders of both the parties were actively discussing seat-sharing plans, but both the parties are not on the issue. Unable to reach consensus.
“The idea of alliance is not working. We will now contest on our own in all 403 seats.
Yadav’s close ally SP’s national spokesperson Udayveer Singh also ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the AAP, saying on Wednesday, “No decision has been taken on alliance with AAP”.
While the SP currently has 56 seats in the 403-seat assembly of Uttar Pradesh, the AAP is all set to begin the assembly elections in UP in the elections to be held next year.
While both Sanjay Singh and Udayveer Singh, as well as other top leaders of both the parties refrained from commenting on why talks did not take place, a senior SP leader, who wished not to be identified, said on Thursday: “ In our conversations with you, we felt like we weren’t achieving anything, because as we see it at this point in time, they don’t have a specific support base.”
Meanwhile, a senior AAP leader said, “Our agenda is mainly based on good governance, welfare and anti-corruption.” “We tried with the way the SP and smaller parties are approaching the upcoming elections, but failed to find common ground,” he said.
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difference in agenda
AAP aims to focus on the National Capital Region (NCR) and its adjoining constituencies and urban areas of central Uttar Pradesh. But the SP already has strong candidates for these seats – either on its own or from allies such as the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in western Uttar Pradesh, senior leaders of both parties told ThePrint.
Senior office-bearers of both the parties said that both the parties have also failed to forge an alliance in terms of the fundamental agenda.
While the SP is very specific about caste equations and demographic calculations, the AAP is approaching elections with an agenda of welfare and governance purely to replicate its model in Delhi, where it is currently in power.
Speaking to ThePrint, Sanjay Singh said, “We are drafting a manifesto that includes 300 units of free electricity, bill waiver, free electricity for farmers, model schools, more jobs and Rs 5,000 per month for the unemployed. financial assistance will be included. among other things.”
Meanwhile, the SP forged an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). 2019 Lok Sabha Elections and Congress in 2017 Assembly elections – Both ended in defeat for the party – only for the 2022 elections to plan alliances with smaller parties with specific vote bases, senior party leaders said.
Sources in the SP said that all the smaller parties with which the SP has forged an alliance so far for the 2022 assembly elections, have appeals among specific groups. For example, RLD has a strong base In the western UP rural belt, which was widely observed Protest Against three controversial agricultural laws.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, now a SP friendThere is support among backward communities like Rajbhar, Chauhan, Pal, Vishwakarma, Prajapati, Bari, Banjara and Kashyap. one more friendThe Mahan Dal has a presence in the western UP districts of caste groups like Shakya, Saini, Maurya and Kushwaha, while People’s Party (Socialist) have a base among the Nonia community.
(Edited by Polomi Banerjee)
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