Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 12: As the ruling Congress got itself entangled in its internal feuds, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bahujan Samaj Party on Saturday revived a 27-year old partnership to enter into a poll alliance to jointly contest the state Assembly elections in Punjab due early next year.
Though the final touches in seat sharing between the two parties will be completed in the coming days, the SAD and the BSP has already reached a broad understating on the issue with 97 seats going to the share of the Akalis while the remaining 20 would go to the BSP in the 117-member state Assembly. Seat sharing has often become the bone of contention between the contending parties breaking the alliances.
The BJP after having let the SAD go out of the NDA on the contentious farm bill issue last year, would be looking for other alliance partners in the state or go it alone in the Assembly elections.
The SAD and the BSP had earlier fought the 1996 Lok Sabha elections jointly and reaped rich dividends with the two parties having won 11 of the 13 Parliamentary seats in the state with eight seats going to the SAD kitty and three to the BSP.
Announcing the formation of the new alliance in the presence of the BSP national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra, the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the alliance would not only be limited only for the Assembly elections, but the strong bond and the partnership between the two parties even in all other future elections in Punjab.
“As per the seat-sharing arrangement, the SAD will contest 97 seats and the BSP 20,” he said at a press conference. Badal said the alliance was not a temporary one and would remain intact as both parties will contest not just the upcoming Assembly poll but other elections together as well.
Given the fact that Dalits make up nearly 32% of the total population in the State, the alliance is being seen as critical for the SAD, especially after it broke its alliance with the BJP.
With the Assembly poll a few months away, parties are aware of the importance of Dalit votes. The SAD had earlier announced it would appoint a Dalit as Deputy Chief Minister if it forms the government. With the announcement on electoral alliance with the BSP, the SAD has only attempted to re-confirm its promise.
“Today, is a historic day…a big turn in Punjab’s politics,” Badal said. “It will be the beginning of a new socio-political movement not just in Punjab but also in the country where minorities and under-privileged classes will come together on one platform,” he said.
The 20 seats given to the BSP included seven seats in Malwa, five in Majha, and eight in Doaba regions of the state. The seat sharing was finalized during talks between the SAD Member of Parliament Naresh Gujral and Mishra on Friday, sources said. In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BSP had contested from 111 seats but had failed to win any.
The sources said the seat adjustment was being discussed and it seems the senior leaders will make an announcement about it. The BSP wanted 35 seats but the Akalis were offering 20. Sources said it seems the Akalis will agree to give 23 seats to the BSP. These seats were the same which went in BJP’s quota when it contested elections in partnership with the Akalis.
The sources also hinted that the BSP was demanding more seats in the Doaba belt as it has a stronger base in that region. The BSP has a considerable hold over the 31 per cent Dalit votes in the state. The concentration of these votes in 23 seats of the Doaba region is more significant.
The BSP was a part of a third front in the last Assembly elections. It had contested the Lok Sabha elections jointly with the Left parties, Lok Insaaf Party and Punjab Ekta Party. The party is focusing on key Dalit seats where with the support of the Akalis, it hopes to have a major impact on the elections.
Following the announcement, Sukhbir and Mishra met Prakash Singh Badal, who even called Mayawati to congratulate her.
“I am happy that the relationship, which was formed over 25 years ago by Parkash Singh Badal and BSP founder Kanshi Ram, has been revived,” Sukhbir said, while pointing out that when the last time the two came together in the 1996 Lok Sabha polls, they had lost only two seats.
Explaining as to how the alliance came together, Sukhbir said that both the parties aim to work for the underprivileged, economically downtrodden and labourers.
“We need to bring Punjab’s economy back on track and we are sure that it will be done following our victory,” he added.
He also criticised the Congress government, accusing them of “discontinuing or scaling down” welfare schemes for the Dalits in the state.
Saying that the Bhagwan Valmiki Ram Tirath temple was being developed at Rs 300 crore and projects worth Rs 200 crore are planned for Khuralgarh, the holy place linked to Guru Ravidass, Sukhbir rued that “development work is the only thing that has stalled” since the formation of the Congress government in 2017.
The BSP General Secretary said, “It is a historic day. Every BSP worker welcomes the move.” He added that Mayawati herself wanted to be present on the occasion but had to drop her plans owing to Covid-induced restrictions.
Reminding the strong stance taken by SAD MP from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal who had quit the Union Cabinet over the farm laws, Mishra said, “Our alliance will ensure that the farm legislation is not implemented in Punjab.”
Mishra also condemned the stance taken by the Aam Aadmi Party over the farm laws, saying they “first welcomed the proposal but soon changed their take on it when they saw farmers hitting the roads against it.”
Mishra also accused the Captain Amarinder Singh-led government of “discriminating against the Dalits.”
