UP deal done but toughest stretch awaits SP, Congress: Working out Lok Sabha battle plan

First, on February 25, SP leaders in Gonda visited the Congress’s district office and pledged to work jointly in support of SP candidate Sherya Verma, the granddaughter of former Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma. This week, the SP’s Ambedkar Nagar candidate Lalji Verma visited the Congress district office and held a meeting there. Likewise, the SP’s Faizabad candidate and sitting MLA Awadhesh Prasad visited former state Congress president Nirmal Khatri’s home in the district to seek his support.

The Congress has so far not declared candidates for the 17 seats it has been allotted but over the past week its probable candidate from Barabanki, Tanuj Punia, has met various SP leaders such as former state ministers Arvind Singh Gope and Rakesh Kumar Verma. Punia also visited the district office of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) to meet its local office-bearers.

Candidates from both parties are carrying out these exercises to meet the challenge of bringing their cadre together on one platform and ensure they gel with each other to avoid any confusion or embarrassment as had prevailed in 2017 when the top leadership of the SP and the Congress forged an alliance but their local units shunned each other. That eventually resulted in both parties fielding candidates against each other in several constituencies.

However, in the absence of guidelines from their leadership, some confusion remains. “There is confusion about the distribution of work. We do not know what responsibilities the Congress cadre will have to bear here, whether our workers will have to work as booth-level agents or not. Our party has asked our district president and Lok Sabha coordinators to appoint booth presidents but we do not know what their tasks will be, or how they will coordinate with SP leaders. Here, we are dependent on the plans of the SP and its candidate,” said a Congress leader in Ambedkarnagar, where the SP’s Lalji Verma is the INDIA alliance candidate.

The Congress leader added that a coordination committee comprising leaders of both parties should be constituted in every district to assign responsibilities and resolve differences.

Another Congress leader said, “We have been asked to appoint block, mandal, booth presidents and booth-level agents. But they need resources. Some people have become inactive because the Congress is not contesting. Will the SP provide logistics to the Congress workers for canvassing? These are practical questions being asked by our booth leaders. It should be the responsibility of both parties to mobilise workers by reaching out to them.”

He added, “Coordination on seat-sharing has been sealed at the top level. But it is yet to happen among workers on the ground. That should now be resolved. Otherwise, after elections, allegations will be levelled that the Congress’s votes were not transferred and its workers did not cooperate. The Congress will also make the same allegations against the SP.”

A Congress leader in Gonda said the party state headquarters had written to all district units to support candidates of their INDIA bloc partner across the state but there are no detailed guidelines yet about the role of Congress leaders where the SP will be in the fray.

Sources in both parties said similar confusion had prevailed in 2017. “Two years back, we were opposing the Congress here. Now we have to praise each other and appeal for votes to our alliance partner. Bringing ground workers together is going to be a challenge,” said an SP leader in Barabanki.

An SP leader in Amethi said, “The Congress cannot win here without the help of the SP. There are over three lakh Yadav voters in Amethi. If the Congress has to win here, it will have to take care of the SP more than their own workers.”

An SP leader in the Congress’s other “pocket borough” in the state, Raebareli, agreed. “We are waiting for directives from our party leadership regarding our tasks.”

A senior SP leader said joint meetings would have to be organised to send a message to the voters that both parties had united in letter and spirit to defeat the BJP. A Congress leader claimed that “talmel (coordination)” had happened at the top that it was on display when earlier this month state Congress president Ajay Rai and senior leader P L Punia visited the SP office to hand over Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s invitation to Akhilesh Yadav to join the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Agra.

“It shows that Congress has shrugged off its alleged arrogance as a national party. Otherwise, an invitation to Akhilesh Yadav had already been sent by email,” said a state Congress leader, adding that a demand for coordination committees had been placed before senior leaders.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput said there was no challenge and all party leaders and workers were taking every possible initiative to win. “Workers are being sent to meet each other. The current focus is on campaigning for the alliance candidate, which is being done by the party on priority,” he said.

His SP counterpart Rajendra Chaudhary said, “Understanding has developed between leaders and workers of both parties. SP’s entire workforce will work with devotion to ensure a win for Congress candidates on all 17 seats. Activities will gain pace after candidates file their nominations.”