Cong’s Opposition unity plan fizzling out in UP?

The opposition parties’ grand plan of unity in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to oust Narendra Modi from power appears to run into difficulty in Uttar Pradesh. If it fails in Uttar Pradesh that sends maximum MPs to the Lok Sabha, the unity plans in other states may be quietly buried, giving credence to the BJP leadership’s claim that the rivals will fall apart, close to the elections, on the division of the seats they should contest.

The Congress leadership is finding stiff resistance from its state leaders in Uttar Pradesh on tying up with the Samajwadi Party as they point out the mistake of such an alliance in the last Assembly elections resulting in the party getting the minimum seats.

The state leaders were, however, receptive to a tie-up with the Bahujan Samaj Party but that prospects too receded as its leader Mayawati, a former chief minister, has convened that she wants her party to context maximum seats as that will help her stake claim to be the contender for the prime minister’s post in case of a hung Parliament.

A senior Congress leader engaged in talks with Mayawati’s second rung of leaders says chances of an alliance with the BSP look bleak as Mayawati wants to contest not less than 100 Lok Sabha seats across the country.

The Congress is putting under wraps the difficulties it is facing in its wish to quickly unite the opposition parties for the big fight as it does not want to create any negative picture about a flopped unity move. It is facing difficulty with Mayawati even in the Assembly elections due this year end in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as her BSP wants a big slice of seats to contest.

Various formulas suggested by the Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh to decide on the basis of the previous elections infuriated the BSP to declare last week that it will contest all the seats.