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Editorial

United against common foe(s)

The elephant has made a new turn! Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and Samajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav have joined hands for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. UP, having the largest piece of the Lok Sabha cake with 80 seats, looks set to provide BJP with a not-so-surprising blow. Ever since the saffron party witnessed the fall in the three Hindi-heartland states, things have looked bleak. The nation's political set up has gone frenzy over the saffron party's fall in the 'warm-up' to the general elections and the Opposition has switched gears. Congress has continuously pestered BJP with Rafale, further hurting them by winning the three states. Amidst the undesirable pre-poll scenario that they find themselves in, a BSP-SP combine in one of its ruling states – that too a politically decisive one – adds to the trouble. What many termed as a political gimmick got the President's assent last week to become a law. EWS has 10 per cent quota with a bar of 8 lakh annual income. The decisive role this is going to play remains to be seen but projections can still be made of the desired outcome the Lotus party wants to build out of the declining popularity. The BSP-SP alliance carried forward from the Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypolls is now set to oppose BJP, and Congress, for the grand elections. It is in their interest to diminish personal animosity for a greater good. Fighting on 38 seats each out of the 80 is a clear signal of their intentions. This alliance does not want either of the two and their slogan "Bua ka Desh, Bhateejey ka Pradesh" could not be more precise. While Rahul Gandhi's constant chant of a united opposition lost some credit with this alliance announcement, the post-poll scenario might take a new turn. The alliance will not field candidates for the seats of Amethi and Rae Bareilly – Rahul and Sonia's turf – and left two more for its allies. Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal, maybe. The coalition which had part ways due to the infamous 1995 Meera Bai Marg guest house incident is back after 23 years. When SP workers had interrupted Mayawati's MLA meeting abusing Mayawati, BJP MLA Brahm Dutt Dwivedi had saved her. The consequential BSP-BJP combine gave her the CM seat. SP and BSP have been on bitter terms ever since but no more. Mayawati, who had tied up with Mulayam Yadav to keep BJP out of power in Lucknow, has reigned in UP's political paradigm for a long time to be decisive with her actions at the right time. She had walked back on her commitment to PM Vajpayee's no-confidence motion, which the government eventually lost by a vote. This alliance cites her revived hostility against BJP. Her alliance with Mulayam's son and not inviting Congress to the table is definitely one of her politically motivated landmark decisions. And knowing Mayawati, and even Akhilesh, if BSP-SP combine manages to upset BJP in UP and garner votes, they might just support Congress owing to how BJP and Congress define the national race for the Centre seat. In an unexpected turn of events, however, if what KCR urged upon his successive victory in Telangana about the possible Third Front standing to oppose these two major competitors is true, then the BSP-SP combine will be more than interested to explore that opportunity. Condemning Congress for its Bofors scam and warning BJP of the same fate with its Rafale issue, Mayawati's voice displays a strong dissent. Addressing the BJP national convention a little after the UP development, PM Modi stressed on the coalition-building efforts of the opposition as a failed experiment to bring in a helpless government. He termed the opposition's ambition as a "Majboor" government to promote nepotism and corruption against BJP's "Majboot" one for all-round development. UP CM Yogi Adityanath said, "Those who did not like each other are talking about a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance)." He added, "This is an alliance for corruption, anarchy and political instability". He believes that BJP will win again banking on its development wheel that it has put the nation on. While BJP remained confident, or at least look like, Congress held a meeting in Lucknow yesterday to discuss the course of actions in the aftermath of them being ousted from the coalition. The coalition received positive responses from other political leaders across the nation with Mamta Banerjee describing it as a "new political revolution" which was sighted at preventing BJP from getting back to power. The anti-lotus feeling is prevalent despite the passed bills and all-round development. The minuses have hurt people and the recent 5-state elections gave us a glimpse of the people's mandate. BJP heads into the elections as a hurt lion but even when hurt, a lion's dangerous and BJP will be eyeing to prove that.

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