Farmers Movement Archive

SAD bets on BSP’s Dalit vote bank to boost poll prospects

In an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Shiromani Akali Dal is betting on 2,500-10,000 votes that the Mayawati-led party used to get in the previous Punjab assembly polls as a game changer in the 2022 elections. In the 2017 assembly elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) contested on 111 seats and managed a vote share of 1.59%. Finding its utility, top leaders in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are hopeful that the newly stitched alliance will boost the party’s beleaguered poll prospects by consolidating the Dalit vote bank, which comprises one-third of the state electorate. Also Read: SAD lost core vote bank, even BSP alliance futile, says Dhindsa“In 2017, we lost at least 20 seats by a margin of less than 1,000 votes. In case we were in an alliance with the BSP, we could have been in a much stronger position,” said a SAD leader, who did not wish to be named.The tactical change comes after the party lost its traditional Panthic vote bank post sacrilege incidents in 2015, and also lost the peasantry support for backing the Centre’s contentious farm laws in 2020 even as it took a U-turn later.Having severed ties with its old ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the farm issue, the Akali Dal started attempts to touch base with the BSP to boost its poll prospects. Of the 20 seats given to the BSP as an alliance arrangement, 12 were with the BJP during its alliance with the SAD. In all, the saffron party used to contest on 23 seats and the SAD on the remaining 94 out of the total 117 assembly seats in the state. “In Punjab, the government can be formed with 35-40% vote share, and if it’s a triangular fight, even a lesser number of votes can turn political fortunes, provided the polls are contested intelligently,” said BSP’s Punjab president Jasvir Singh Garhi, hoping for a pro-coalition buildup when the state goes for the polls early next year. “Since our party came into existence 37 years ago in 1984, we have had aspirations to be part of the government in the state as our founder Kanshi Ram hails from here,” he said. Seats of BSP’s choice in SAD strongholds Most of the 20 seats given to the BSP are of its choice, even as the SAD performed well on them in 2017, said SAD general secretary Pawan Tinu, who represents the Adampur seat and was in the BSP in the late 1990s. Tinu said the Doaba region has 44% Dalit population (against 32% in the state), and out of the eight seats given to the BSP in this belt, three — Kartarpur, Jalandhar West and Phagwara — are reserved for scheduled caste candidates. Also read: Mayawati reacts to SAD-BSP alliance in Punjab, calls it a ‘historic step’“These seats are our party’s stronghold; still we agreed to hand them over to our new alliance partner to boost the morale of Bahujan Samaj. I have been in the BSP and understand their psyche. They vote en masse when they can see that the candidate will win; otherwise, the votes get divided,” said Tinu, hoping that the BSP will get a vote share of 16% as it got in the Lok Sabha polls of 1996 that it contested in alliance with the SAD and jointly won 11 out of 13 seats. The MLA said that other seats in the SAD’s stronghold, such as Anandpur Sahib, Chamkaur sahib, Mohali and Tanda, have also been allotted to the BSP. Sukhbir pacifies agitated party workers SAD president Sukhbir Badal on Monday met party leaders, workers and halqa in-charges of Nawanshahr, Payal, Bassi Pathana, Kartarpur and Tanda, which have been given to the BSP. As some questioned the logic of allotting seats to the BSP when it has failed to win on any of them in the past elections, Sukhbir and party secretary general Balwinder Singh Bhunder pacified them and told them to support the BSP nominees. Also Read: Jakhar terms SAD-BSP alliance opportunistic tie-upThe BJP used to contest on 12 seats given to the BSP — Sujanpur, Bhoa, Pathankot, Amritsar North, Amritsar Central, Phagwara, Jalandhar West, Jalandhar North, Dasuya, Hoshiarpur City, Anandpur Sahib and Ludhiana North — and the remaining eight — Kartarpur, Mohali, Tanda, Chamkaur Sahib, Bassi Pathana, Mehal Kalan, Nawanshahr and Payal — were with the SAD. These seats are spread across the state: BSP stronghold Doaba (8), Majha (5) and Malwa (7). Talks on with Left as well SAD secretary general Balwinder Singh confirmed that the party is also in talks with the left-wing parties CPI and CPI (M) for a pre-poll alliance. “We are in talks with both the parties and there are positive signals. We are hopeful of a positive result shortly,” he said. According to Bhunder, the Left has a strong support base in Sangrur, Barnala and Mansa, which needs to be channelised.

Hindustan Times

15-06-2021

Chandigarh