Congress and AIMIM may eat into SP votes
UP assembly elections appear to be moving towards many last minute surprises which narrowing gap between the ruling BJP and the opposition parties, especially Samajwadi Party (SP). In 2017 elections BJP got 30.67 per cent of the polled votes, but won 312 out of 403 seats in the assembly. BSP got 22.23 per cent votes but managed 19 and SP with 21.83 per cent votes got 47 MLAs.
Then, Congress contested the polls in alliance with SP while AIMIM put up candidates in a limited number of seats, both were marginal forces. Now, SP emerged as the main challenger to BJP while BSP and Congress which are fighting separately are trying to retain their base and improve seat tally.
Then Congress got 6.5 per cent votes, but ended up with just 7 MLAs. AIMIM of Asaduddin Owaisi got meagre 0.24 per cent votes – around 2 lakh in total. This time, Congress is contesting from all seats and AIMIM is in fray in majority seats – thus posing a threat to SP, which is expected to defeat BJP from power. BSP too is struggling hard to retain Muslim votes.
CM Yogi declared that “this time the contest was between 80 per cent vs 20 per cent” – meaning communal polarisation between Hindus and Muslims, but former BJP minister SP Mourya who joined SP later described that “the fight between 85 per cent vs 15 per cent” – OBCs, SC/STs and minorities vs forward castes. Both the camps are trying hard to poach into each other.
