BSP’s Alvi weighs BJP, Cong choices

The BJP may win yet another trophy if BSP parliamentary leader Rashid Alvi accepts its invitation to join the party. The BSP’s high-profile LS member and Mayawati’s most vocal spokesperson may soon soon join the ranks of BJP’s other high-profile Muslim leaders including former Union Textile Minister Shahnawaz Hussein, party spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and newly-inducted former Jan Morcha and BSP leader Arif Mohammed Khan.

‘‘I will meet Mayawati either today or tomorrow and will decide my future course,’’ was all Alvi said. Alvi has kept speculation alive on leaving the BSP and has been meeting leaders from both parties. The BSP’s former MP has been unhappy since Mayawati insisted his quitting his parliamentary constituency of Amroha and contesting from Sambal instead. Sambal is UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav’s former constituency.

The BSP chief’s strategy was to contain Yadav within Sambal and prevent him from campaigning elsewhere in the state. Mayawati, sources said, even offered Alvi a Rajya Sabha seat as he was certain to lose in Sambal. Alvi has been participating in talks between BSP and Congress and has often said a BSP-Congress alliance will prove benefit both parties as it would bring the Muslims back to the fold.

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His hopes of such an alliance faded with Mayawati going ahead and finalising the list of candidates in 65 out of the 80 parliamentary constituencies in the state, leaving only 15 seats for the Congress.

Alvi, however, has to weigh the consequences of joining the BJP — not only will he have to keep his votebank intact, he will have to turn his bitter criticism on the BJP’s secular credentials on its head.