The Hindu : BJP, BSP opt for `friendly' clash in bypolls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 20, 2003

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Other States - Uttar Pradesh

BJP, BSP opt for `friendly' clash in bypolls

By J.P. Shukla

LUCKNOW FEB. 19. While the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have arrived at an agreement to avoid their intermittent quarrels in Uttar Pradesh in the interest of political unity between the two parties, they have taken no steps to avoid clashes between their candidates in the two Assembly by-elections later this month. It is claimed that the issue did not come up for discussion during the recent meeting between the Chief Minister, Mayawati, and the top BJP leaders in New Delhi. The two parties have thus been left to slug it out in the by-elections.

While BSP apparently has little stake in any of the two constituencies -- Gauriganj, which is one of the five Assembly segments in the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency held by the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and Haidergarh, a neighbouring constituency from where the winner last time was the former Chief Minister, Rajnath Singh -- the Chief Minister made it a point of prestige to challenge the Congress in Gauriganj. This seat had fallen vacant following the death of the Congress member, Noor Mohammed.

All arguments by the BJP leaders to leave Gauriganj for its nominee, Tejbhan Singh, who had lost to the Congress candidate during the last elections by a narrow margin of less than 300 votes were rejected by Ms. Mayawati. The two parties therefore decided to have a friendly contest at both places stressing that the decision would have no impact on the fate of the ruling alliance in the State.

The primary reason for Ms. Mayawati challenging the Congress in Gauriganj is believed to be the hue and cry raised by Ms. Gandhi's daughter, Priyanka Vadra, over the demolition of a Dalit's house at Punnupur village. The Chief Minister took it as a challenge and expressed her determination not to allow the Congress to win the seat again.

To the consolation of the ruling alliance, the Opposition has also failed to arrive at an understanding in the by-elections that have assumed a four-corner character among the BJP, BSP, Congress and the Samajwadi Party. Historically both seats have seen direct contests between the Congress and the BJP.

The Haidergarh seat had been vacated by the sitting Congress MLA, Surendra Nath Awasthi, to enable the former Chief Minister, Rajnath Singh, to enter the legislature. Mr. Awasthi has now been accomodated as an MLC while Mr. Rajnath Singh resigned following his election to the Rajya Sabha.

That left the ground open for Sunderlal Dixit, the BJP candidate, who had been an old rival of Mr. Awasthi but the entry into the field of the BSP candidate has now created roadblocks for him.

To upset the BJP apple cart, the Opposition has started pampering the upper castes which have felt ignored following the assumption of Chief Ministership by Ms. Mayawati. Detention of the independent MLA, Raghuraj Pratap Singh, and his father, Uday Pratap Singh, under POTA has given a further leverage to the Congress and the SP to alienate the influential Thakur community from the BJP.

The BSP leaders, however, feel they have nothing to lose. If caste feelings are allowed to harden further, their Scheduled Caste voters would work more determinedly to wrest at least the Gauriganj seat from the Congress.

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BJP, BSP opt for `friendly' clash in bypolls