Future alliances change pre-poll ties

As the third phase of polls draw near, different political parties have started positioning themselves for the future alliances signaling further changes in the existing pre-poll ties. A few days after RJD boss Lalu Prasad declared he is open to take the support of the Left, Samajwadi Party today ruled out its possibility of joining hands with the Left like Prasad.

Interestingly, the SP has joined hands with RJD and Ramvilas Paswan’s LJP for consolidating their vote banks in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. So, even before the alliance of SP, RJD and LJP could complete its fight together, the SP has given indication that the alliance or so-called “Fourth Front” may split and join different forces after the 2009 Lok Sabha election.

"Neither we are in the Third Front, nor we have any link with the CPI(M) and such a situation will never arise even in the post-poll scenario as long as Mayawati is with them," SP General Secretary Amar Singh told reporters here.

Recently, when the SP started feeling cornered by the Congress, Amar Singh had tried to revive the relations with the Left but got ignored by the CPI(M). He had even called up CPI(M) General secretary Prakash Karat for a meeting but Karat refused to meet him. Even as Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party—SP’s arch rival in Uttar Pradeh—has not yet enrolled itself formally in the Karat’s efforts of Third Front, the Left leadership wants to wait and watch before warming up to the SP again.

The SP leadership, however, has kept its option open to join hands with the Congress after the results come out on 16 May. "The Congress-led UPA ran the government for the last one year with our help after the Left parties withdrew support to it but they turned down our offer of 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh. We had never been so ungrateful. However, we are not averse to a tie-up with the Congress in post-poll scenario if the situation demands," Singh said today.

Hardening his stand for the possible allies, Karat too, has made it clear that the Left will decide about future alliances and formation of government discussing the issue collectively with his existing allies. This is seen as an attempt of Karat to pour cold water on the speculation of Left again supporting the Congress as Karat’s stand means hard core anti-Congress forces like the TDP or the BJD will also be taken into confidence before taking any decision. Also, it is clear that the parties which look forward to getting support from the Third Front will have to appease different power groups in the Front.

Singh, shunted by the Left, today also criticized the present CPI(M) leadership and cited it as another reason for their decision not to join hands with the Left after the polls. "We had good relation with the CPI(M) during the time of Harkishen Singh Surjeet but Prakash Karat is altogether a different person,” he said.