West Bengal, UP show new political equations against BJP, says Singhvi

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)’s support to arch-rival Samajwadi Party’s candidates in Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress’ support to Congress in Rajya Sabha election shows the emergence of new political equations against the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said in Kolkata, Sunday.

“Being in Opposition at the state level is no longer hindering seat coordination from the national perspective. Parties can continue debate and discourse at the state level while coordinating against the common rival at the national level,” said Singhvi, whose nomination as Congress Rajya Sabha candidate from Bengal got chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s support.

“I have no hesitation in saying that the need of the hour, not only going up to the next parliamentary elections, but in several state elections with the regional party presence, is to prevent vote divisiveness. We have seen many times how in a trilateral or quadrangular fight, the BJP generates a climate of divisiveness and provocation and then benefits from vote division,” he said.

“It is vital to marry and harmonise the national level perspective with diverse, valid state issues. I find no necessary or inevitable paradox or contradiction in that.”

In Bengal, Congress is facing a bitter challenge from TMC, with the latter aggressively trying to rid Congress off its last fortresses of the districts of Murshidabad and Malda. Singhvi, however, said the TMC’s support to his candidature would not affect his party’s fight against its governance and policies.

KOLKATA:

RAJ K RAJ/HT Students get their head tonsured to protest against the leak of question paper of the Combined Graduate Level exam conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), in New Delhi on Sunday. Aspirants have been demanding a written submission from the...