BSP, RPI tie-up talks in Maha may hurt Grand Alliance plan

MUMBAI:In what could be a blow to the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) plan of forming a grand Opposition alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in next year’s Lok Sabha elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is likely to join hands with the Republican Party of India (RPI) in Maharashtra. After a meeting between its leaders on Saturday, BSP and RPI have agreed to “explore possibilities for forging an alliance”.

The Mayawati-led party has already announced that it would not have any alliance with the Congress in the Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Assembly elections slated in November and December.

The likelihood of an alliance between Mayawati and RPI chief Rajendra Gawai assumes more significance given that Prakash Ambedkar’s Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh and Asaddudin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul

THE RPI CHIEF IS LIKELY TO MEET MAYAWATI IN LUCKNOW SOON TO DISCUSS SEATSHARING AND OTHER MODALITIES FOR THE ALLIANCE

Muslimeen will tie-up in Maharashtra for Lok Sabha polls.

Gawai met Suresh Sakhare, BSP’s state unit president, and Pramod Raina, BSP’s Maharashtra in-charge, on Saturday. The RPI chief is also likely to meet Mayawati in Lucknow soon to discuss seat-sharing and other modalities for the alliance.

“We [BSP and RPI] are exploring possibilities of coming together for the Lok Sabha polls. We had initial level talks in which I have proposed to contest in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies. The proposal will be presented before the BSP chief,” Gawai said.

However, Gawai clarified that he has kept his “options open” and is not just in talks with BSP.