New Delhi: Punjab witnessed a political marriage of convenience after Sukhbir Singh Badal led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD-B) made an alliance with Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and this happened ahead of the 2022 battle of the ballot when Akali’s are leaving nothing to chances to regain the control of the state especially after breaking ties with a long time coalition partner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue of three agriculture laws aiming to keep its majority vote bank -peasantry- intact.
But only time holds the key to how long and how successful the new political partnership will last and how both parties transform the newfound friendship to add to their respective vote bank- a key factor behind the new alliance.
In partnership with SAD(B), the BJP used to contest 23 assembly seats leaving 94 seats for the Akalis. In the 2017 assembly elections, BJP could win only 3 assembly seats.
Now the field is open for BJP and as per the agreement, the SAD(B) gave 20 seats to its new political partner BSP who has some significant presence in the Doaba region of Punjab. In most of these 20 assembly seats, SAD(B) has very little presence or influence.
Knowingly that BSP was founded for the upliftment and empowerment of ‘Bahujan’s- referring to scheduled castes, schedule tribes etc. – it will be a testing time for the SAD(B) that claims to be a democratic party as to how the party refrains from making any compromise with its political ideology, principles, and character even as Akali party already has SC/BC wings etc.
Interestingly, the saffron party already indicated at projecting a Dalit as a chief minister candidate in Punjab following which both the other major political parties SAD (B) and Congress had floated ideas of making a Dalit as deputy chief minister of Punjab.
Making the BSP, which claims to be the saviors of Dalits and downtrodden in the country, its political partner, Akali’s would have an upper hand in Punjab to project themselves as the guardian angel of Dalits in the state.
It is pertinent to mention that Punjab has been the “Karmbhomi” of Kanshi Ram, the founder of BSP, who won from the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat in 1996, when Akali and BSP together contested the election and secured about 13 percent of the Dalit votes. After he left, Punjab BSP has suffered an erosion of vote share.
According to available information, there are about 32 percent of Dalit votes in the state which is merely 1.59 percent on the seats it contested in 2017.
“We don’t mind even if BSP wins as many as 8 seats but they will benefit us in the rest of the constituencies across the state- even by six to seven thousand votes – which will be a better performance as compared to old alliance partner BJP,” said a senior Akali leader who didn’t wish to give his name.
A blot of sacrileges allegation is another big issue that has been hunting Akali dal since the last assembly elections. To shake off the tag of anti-farmers, the Akali Dal not only left BJP but reportedly have been sending their cadre and voters to support the farmers agitating at the borders of Delhi.
“By sending our cadres to the farmer protests, we have been keeping them active and we have benefited in the panchayat elections,” said one of the Akali leaders requesting anonymity.
The political marriage contracted between SAD(B) and BSP has the sole purpose of winning the 2022 assembly elections by defeating the Captain of Congress.
Although the tie-up between the two parties which also have divergent views on certain issues – currently wrapped under the layers of celebrations- the results will tell whether BSP will make SAD happy or not in the upcoming assembly polls of Punjab.
