With Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party and Congress set to join hands for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the strategists of the two parties have already started estimating the percentage of votes the ‘alliance’ might garner.
According to a Times of India report, the strategists are aiming at gathering 35-37 per cent votes in Uttar Pradesh by winning over around 25 per cent of non-Muslims and attracting an overwhelming chunk of Muslims.
The calculation is based on the fact that the joint appeal of both parties can meld a social coalition which can neutralise the hostility of groups inclined towards BJP and BSP.
For the supporters of the alliance, their contest in the Assembly election is with BJP, while BSP, the default option till now, will trail the saffron outfit.
The report cited a senior Congress leader saying that the idea behind putting Congress and Samajwadis under one tent is two-fold.
An SP alliance with the national party, which is not identified with caste politics, will help soften the attitude of sections of “floating votes” (upper castes) towards the alliance.
Also, as the lead “secular” player at the national level, Congress is expected to check the drift of Muslim votes by creating the perception that the alliance is the main challenger to “communal” BJP.
The stat includes roughly 25 per cent of upper castes, 10 per cent of Yadavs and 26 per cent of non-Yadav OBSc, besides 18 per cent Muslims and 21 per cent Dalits.
Also, it is believed that CM Akhilesh Yadav’s emergence as the new SP boss will draw a positive reaction from youth and upper castes, while putting up a strong challenge to BJP in the competition for non-Yadav OBCs.
On the other hand, observers also argue that the plan faces challenge from the fact that the BSP has fielded roughly 100 Muslim candidates who are expected to get a chunk of community votes.
