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The Samajwadi Party (SP) today pulled the rug out from under the 'Janata Parivar' by unilaterally announcing its withdrawal from the proposed anti-Modi political front.
SP, which had been offered to contest 5 out of the 243 assembly seats in Bihar, pulled out from the alliance citing "humiliation" at not being consulted before arriving at the seat sharing formula. It has announced to fight the state polls on its own.
Addressing media here, SP national general secretary and spokesperson Ram Gopal Yadav noted the decision was arrived at after taking into consideration the feedback received from the party's Bihar unit and to respect the sentiments of the state party leaders.
This decision was taken at the party's parliamentary board meeting here in the presence of SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav and other senior party leaders, including UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.
On August 12, the combination of Janata Dal (United) and Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had announced the seat sharing formula, under which the two parties had decided to contest 100 seats each.
While, Congress had been offered 40 seats, three seats were given to the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). However, Lalu had offered two seats to SP out of his own quota. When NCP resented at being offered only 3 seats, these seats were also offered to SP.
Ram Gopal said the party was confident to win more seats that what was being offered to it under 'Janata Parivar' combination. He said the treatment meted out to SP was not "gatbandhan dharma" and the seat sharing information came to the party through news channels.
With the proposed alliance falling apart, the main beneficiary would be the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is betting big on Bihar, where it has never formed a government on its own, although it had been the junior partner in Bihar government for multiple terms with Nitish Kumar-led JDU.
On April 15, the unification of the erstwhile socialist parties was announced in New Delhi in the presence of top leaders of its constituents, including SP, JDU, RJD, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), JD (S) and Samajwadi Janata Party (SJP).
Mulayam was announced as the leader the unified front and the parties had decided to workout a formula to unify under one name, party flag and constitution.
However, from the very beginning there had been apprehensions expressed from within these parties at losing identity. Ram Gopal Yadav had even said no party could sign on its death warrant when asked at the impending unification.
The marriage of Lalu's daughter Raj Laxmi with Mulayam's grand nephew and Mainpuri Member of Parliament Tej Pratap was expected to strengthen the proposed political alliance, yet it hasn't been such a smooth sailing.
