INDIA split widens as RLD seeks seat share in Rajasthan
Officials say RLD plans to approach Bhim Army chief to mobilise Dalit voters in its favour in the state; SP accuses Congress of betrayal
Trouble for the Congress in the INDIA bloc seems to be multiplying.
Ater the Samajwadi Party (SP) accused the Congress of betrayal over seat sharing in Madhya Pradesh, it is now the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), another constituent of the bloc, that has demanded at least six seats in poll-bound Rajasthan.
In the 2018 Rajasthan polls, RLD had fought on two seats -- Bharatpur and Malpura.
It had won Bharatpur but lost Malpura. This time, RLD, which is contesting as an ally of the Congress in Rajasthan, is learnt to have demanded more seats in the Jat-dominated districts like Jhunjhunu, Churu, Hanumangarh, Bharatpur, Bikaner and Sikar.
According to rough poll estimates, Jats form over 10 per cent of the electorate and wield influence in around 40 of the 200 seats in Rajasthan.
“The Congress should allow its allies to contest in these seats,” said a senior RLD leader.
RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary has already campaigned in five assembly seats, including Jaipur and Bharatpur.
“His rallies in some more seats are being planned in the days to come,” the leader said.
He said many party leaders have been pressing for a larger political field in the state.
“Every party seeks to expand its base. There is nothing wrong in demanding a larger space if the party has a perceptible presence,” said RLD national convener Anupam Mishra.
He said leaders from other opposition parties, including BSP, who had lost by a thin margin in 2018, were in touch with the RLD to contest on the party ticket.
Sources said RLD also plans to approach Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar to mobilise Dalit voters in its favour in Rajasthan.
The RLD has been consistently propping Chandra Shekharamid speculation about his inclusion in the INDIA bloc and a possibility of him contesting the Lok Sabha election from Nagina, a reserved seat in west UP’S Bijnor district.
RLD’S assertion atains significance against the backdrop of SP flexing its muscles against the Congress in Madhya Pradesh.
The SP leadership is said to be miffed ater the Congress announced the candidature of Charan Singh Yadav from Bijawar, the lone seat which was won by SP’S Rajesh Shukla in the 2018 assembly polls.
Ater Utar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai curtly asked the SP to withdraw from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, Akhilesh Yadav reacted strongly and accused the Congress of betrayal.
Even as the Congress leadership maintains a studied silence on the growing divide in the INDIA bloc, Akhilesh alleged that some Congress leaders were in cahoots with the BJP.
Rai, on the other hand, claimed that the SP would have lost the Ghosi assembly election if the Congress had contested the seat.
Akhilesh warned that the Congress will get the same treatment in Utar Pradesh that it was laying out for SP in Madhya Pradesh.
Akhilesh responded fiercely to Rai’s remarks and said: “The state (Congress) chief has no authority. He was not there in the meeting held at Patna, Mumbai. What does he know about the INDIA alliance? These people from Congress are siding or involved with the BJP.” The SP chief further said that the Congress leadership should not allow its “small leaders” to comment on his party.
“Had I known on the first day that there is no alliance at the Vidhan Sabha level, our party leaders wouldn’t have gone to the meetings. We would not have given them a list (of seats that the SP wanted to contest in Madhya Pradesh), nor would we have picked their calls,” he added.
It is clear that unless the Congress leadership intervenes and tries to resolve the crisis that is building up in Utar Pradesh, the INDIA bloc will crumble in the state that maters most.
BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi said: “It has happened sooner than expected. We always knew that the opposition alliance would not last because there was no ideological cohesiveness. It was an alliance of opportunism and is now coming apart.”