Cong sees silver lining in defeat

LUCKNOW: Despite losing deposits in bypolls in the state yet again, Congress leaders are seeing a silver lining in the party’s defeat.

“This is a defeat of communal forces. It is a happy verdict for us,” said Congress legislature party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu.

Majority of the others in the party echo his sentiments.

The bypoll outcome reflects the people’s mood who are looking for an alternative to the BJP, they said.

“The Congress has emerged victorious wherever it has come forward as an alternative to the BJP. This became evident in the bypoll results in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The Congress won there as people see it as an alternative and the party is now making efforts to emerge as an alternative to the BJP in UP too,” said Congress MLA Aradhana Mishra.

Mishra further said that the Samajwadi Party and the BSP came together in the middle of the process of bypoll to Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, therefore the Congress was not able to do much at that point.

“Congress could not withdraw its candidates in the middle of the process. Yet the party contributed in cutting into the BJP votes there,” she added.

Another senior leader in the party said the Congress had made efforts to field a joint candidate of the opposition in the bypoll.

“The SP and BSP, however, did not pay any attention to the Congress moves,” said the leader.

As the Congress had contested 2017 assembly elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, there was pressure on the party leadership to consider going alone in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (incharge) Ghulam Nabi Azad and Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar had held close interactions with the partymen at many places in the state.

“At many places, party men opposed to the alliance with the SP favoured a poll understanding with the BSP. We may have to hold more such interactions to know the viewpoint of party men on the issue,” said another party leader.

After giving initial indications of taking the Congress-SP alliance ahead SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had begun giving signals that his party may go all alone in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Though the Congress and SP contested the election to urban local bodies independently, the party considered the option of contesting the bypoll together.

“We had requested the SP to contest the bypoll together and allow the Congress to contest on one of the two Lok Sabha seats. The SP did not respond to our requests,” said another party leader adding, “We need to learn some lessons from the poll defeat and work for opposition’s unity instead of going all alone in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.”

Earlier, Babbar had blamed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s stubborn attitude for not bringing all the opposition parties together and fielding a joint opposition candidate in the by-polls.

“We wanted to have a joint candidate against the BJP in the bypoll to Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats. This could not materialise due to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s stubborn attitude. The BSP, too, initially did not take any interest in efforts for fielding a joint candidate against BJP,” said Babbar while speaking to media persons during his campaign in the bypoll.

›

Congress emerged victorious wherever it came forward as an alternative to the BJP. This became evident in the bypoll results in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. ARADHANA MISHRA, Cong MLA