United we stand, say SP & BSP cadres
ALLAHABAD: Campaigning for the candidate of erstwhile arch-rival Samajwadi Party (SP) in Phulpur Lok Sabha by-poll is a unique experience for Sushil, a dedicated worker of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the last 15 years.
Addressing a small gathering in Dokhari village of Phulpur, he drives home the point that BSP president Mayawati has given a call to her supporters to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the by-election.
“The BSP has not fielded any candidate in the by-polls. ‘Behenji’ wants to stop the BJP in the interests of Dalits and backwards. For this, you need to vote for cycle (SP’s poll symbol) this time,” he says.
Sushil is confident that his appeal to the committed voters of the party will have the desired impact. And this is not a one-off exercise. The campaign is being carried out in all the villages and localities of Allahabad district which fall under the Phulpur parliamentary constituency ever since the BSP announced its support to the SP for by-election.
SP has fielded Nagendra Singh Patel from Phulpur.
“Party flags of the SP and the BSP fluttering on vehicles side by side is an unusual sight. BSP workers seeking votes for the SP candidate is even more striking. We have seen them fighting for every vote for years,” says former pradhan of Dokhari village Rajesh Kumar Singh.
BSP voters are now getting the message that they have to support the SP candidate this time, he says.
Singh feels that a successful show in Phulpur by-polls may lead to a formal alliance between the two parties in future.
Many BSP supporters have welcomed Mayawati’s decision to support the SP.
“The day of polling was drawing closer and we had been waiting for a message from ‘Behenji’. We are happy with her decision to support the SP. Dalits or Yadavs, we both have been victims of atrocities by upper caste. If supporting SP can ensure BJP’s defeat, it is a small compromise for a bigger gain,” says Suman, a BSP supporter. The workers of both the parties are spreading the message as March 11, the day of polling, draws closer.
“Behenji’s message has been passed to all party workers and we are spreading it among our dedicated voters through meetings,” says Ashok Gautam, chief zonal coordinator of BSP in Allahabad.
Though the flags of both the parties can be seen together at public meetings and vehicles, not many leaders have come forward for joint campaigning.
“Though a few meetings have been organised which were attended by leaders from both the parties, by and large we are doing our work and BSP workers are doing their bit,” says SP’s district spokesman Dan Bahadur.
SP activist Ajeet Yadav says their appeal to BSP voters to support the SP candidate has evoked a good response. “OBCs and Dalits in rural areas feel that they have together borne the atrocities of the upper castes in the past and it is time to join hands to defeat the common enemy,” Yadav says.