BJP-Congress direct contest unlikely if smaller parties join hands

Tribune News Service

Faridabad/Palwal, August 23

Smaller parties entering into alliances for the forthcoming Assembly elections may impact the chances of a direct fight between the two main political parties, the BJP and the Congress, in some segments falling in Faridabad and Palwal districts.

“The INLD and the BSP have already entered into an alliance and a similar tie-up is expected among AAP, JJP, Samajwadi Party and the Azad Samaj Party (Kansi Ram). This can make the contest triangular or multi-cornered as local issues dominate the Assembly elections,” says Narender Sirohi, a political and social analyst.

“The BSP and the INLD together may give a tough time to the BJP and the Congress on some seats where they have traditional vote bank. The BSP may exploit the Scheduled Caste (SC) vote bank, which is around 16.5 per cent of the total voters in six Assembly segments in Faridabad district, while the INLD may secure a good share of 15.6 per cent Jat voters in the area,” say political sources.

Tek Chand Sharma, a former MLA from the Prithla segment, had won the seat in the 2014 Assembly elections on the BSP ticket. He had secured around 31,000 votes in the 2009 elections, which shows the influence of the SC vote bank in the region. “The tie-up between the INLD and the BSP can make the contest triangular on some Assembly seats, where both parties have a stronghold,” says Subhash Dagar, a political analyst. He adds that the JJP, which had gained ground in the last Assembly elections mainly on the back of the legacy of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, may also look for an alliance with AAP or the Azad Samaj Party (ASP-Kanshi Ram) headed by Chandrashekhar Azad, and so the contest in some segments is likely to become interesting,” he claims.

The Hathin constituency in Palwal district had also sprung surprises in the past by electing Independent candidates four times out of 13 elections held so far. Parvesh Mehta, a senior AAP leader, says that there is no move at present to have an alliance with any party but the possibility cannot be ruled out, as such decisions depend on circumstances.