The Congress suffered a setback when Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) decided to go solo in the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. That lifted some pressure off the ruling BJP which would prefer a multi-cornered contest instead of facing a united opposition. The Congress version though is that it was left with no option in the matter – it claimed that BSP supremo Mayawati’s demands were too difficult to meet and accepting them would have meant giving a victory ticket to the BJP.

Congress leader Kamal Nath in various media interviews has claimed that Mayawati was demanding 50 seats which was not a realistic proposition. He said that with a vote share of 6.5 per cent, the BSP’s demand for 50 seats was irrational. The Congress veteran said that the BSP will not apply the same formula in Uttar Pradesh where the situation is the other way round with Mayawati’s party in a dominating position. He further said that the BSP demanded even those seats where it polls not more than 2,000 to 3,000 votes in the last elections. It would have been advantage BJP straightaway had the Congress accepted the demand.

Divided

The BJP got 45 per cent of the vote in the last assembly elections whereas the Congress polled 37 per cent followed by BSP’s 6. 5 per cent. The other smaller player is Samajwadi Party which has marginal vote share in Madhya Pradesh. But, the Samajwadi Party too has not been able to form

an alliance with the Congress. A divided opposition suits the BJP as it

has not been able to overcome the challenge posed by a united opposition as was seen in the Bihar assembly elections in November 2015 and in the Kairana by-election in Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress, however, is upbeat as its vote share has been on the rise in the state and hopes that it will not be impacted much by BSP and SP going separate ways. Like in other recent polls, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is on a temple trail and has been raising issues concerning farmers. His rally in Mandsaur some months ago attracted a massive crowd. But as seen in the past, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s entry into the campaign arena is likely to change the equation.