LUCKNOW: SP’s victory in the UP bypolls was not just about
the support from BSP alone
+ . In fact, it was a combination of three well-crafted moves that SP chief
Akhilesh Yadav made within a fortnight ahead of the polls.
To begin with, Akhilesh decided to maintain a safe distance from
Congress to keep those party workers in good humour who were unhappy over their alliance for the 2017 assembly polls.
With no initiative from Congress,
SP decided to go it alone
+ with the backing of a number of small parties that were willing to extend support to defeat BJP.
Next, he stitched together an alliance of at least eight other parties, including some with little state-level presence but with a strong hold on some castes and communities particular to the Gorakhpur and Phulpur region.
Akhilesh teamed up with the Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Party and Peace Party and then fielded
Pravin Nishad from Gorakhpur. Pravin is the son of NISHAD chief
Sanjay Nishad. The move proved a masterstroke as the Nishad community is the largest sub-caste of OBC in the constituency, comprising 3.5 lakh or roughly 17% of the total electorate.
Similarly, in Phulpur, the party fielded
Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel to focus on the sizeable chunk of Patels in the region. SP’s choice of candidates in the two seats made it easy for BSP to support it. Akhilesh also reached out to NCP, CPM and other Left outfits like the BKP (Male), Forward Bloc, RLD, Pragatisheel Manav Samaj Party and likes. They all announced their support to the SP candidate.
