Akhilesh hints at BSP tie-up; Mayawati demurs

With some of the exit polls predicting a hung Assembly in UP, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday reached out to BSP chief Mayawati, indicating the possibility of the two parties replicating the Bihar model of a 'grand alliance' to keep the BJP out of power as also prevent the Modi government from imposing President's Rule in the state.

Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati was quoted as saying on CNN-News18 that her party was confident of forming the government on her own.

According to sources, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also spoken to both Yadav and Mayawati in an effort to broker a political alliance between them to check BJP, as has Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in the recent past. Yadav told the BBC that he was open to “all possibilities” to prevent the BJP from coming to power. “No one will want President’s rule imposed in the state and the BJP to run the government via remote control. The Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress will get enough seats; will form government on its own. But if required, let us see,” he said.

At least two exit polls predicted a clear majority for the BJP in the 403-member Assembly and another two predicted that the party will fall only marginally short of the majority mark of 202. However, two other exit polls predicted that the BJP, while it would emerge the single-largest party, will fall significantly short of the majority mark. With his statement, Yadav has also tried to shut the door on any BJP efforts to reach out to Mayawati, who, during her election campaign, had promised the Muslim community she would never help the BJP form the government.

To a question about whether he was ready for a post-poll alliance with the BSP, Yadav said, “I will not yet speak about alliance. The SP and the Congress will get enough seats to form the government. However, as I have always referred to the BSP chief as a relative, it is natural for people to think we might take their help or go with them.... but it is difficult to say this as of now.”

Yadav, 43, has always referred to 67-year-old Mayawati as ‘Buaji’, or aunt. But there is much history between the SP and the BSP. In 1993, the SP, which was then led by Yadav’s father Mulayam Singh, and the BSP had a prepoll alliance, which enabled them to jointly defeat the BJP in the wake of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. But Mulayam Singh and Mayawati turned sworn enemies ever since the infamous ‘Guest House’ incident in 1995.

During the election campaign, neither Yadav nor Mayawati attacked each other as bitterly as they did Prime Minister Modi. Mayawati also didn’t attack Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who had said at a press conference in the run up to the elections that he had respect for the BSP chief. The SP and the Congress had fought the polls in an alliance.