The speculation of an early general election is refusing to die down despite the government’s clarification that it would be held as per the schedule next year. In fact, barring the Congress, almost all major political parties are predicting early polls.
The BJP, the Samajwadi Party, the Trinamul Congress, the AIADMK, the Shiromani Akali Dal are smelling Lok Sabha elections this year.
On Sunday, BSP supremo Mayawati did not rule out the possibility of an early general election. However, she clarified that her party would continue to provide outside support to the UPA government despite its “anti-people” policies for keeping the communal forces at bay.
“Whether the polls in the country are held before or as per schedule, the BSP is ready. Our party is putting all effort in this (preparing for the polls),” she said in Chandigarh.
When reporters drew her attention to the finance minister P. Chidambaram’s statement that the elections would be held as per the schedule, she said, “I can’t say anything now.”
But major political parties have already stated gearing up for the polls. The Congress had also sent its observers to various states to assess the ground situation and identify prospective candidates. They have also reviewed the elective merit of its sitting MPs and said to have submitted its reports to the central leaders.
The Congress officials are yet to identify pre-poll allies in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and perhaps Andhra Pradesh and initiate seat sharing talks. In Maharashtra, the Congress—NCP will continue for a third time successively, insiders said.
The Left, the YSR Congress, the BSP and a Dravadian party (between AIADMK and the DMK) could be its post poll allies.
On the other hand, the BJP would also work on expanding the NDA by consolidating the anti-Congress parties with a liberal face and developmental agenda (not Hindu or Ayodhya). This would help it in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and retain the JD(U) in Bihar. The party would try to fix the UPA on three issues — inflation, corruption and blackmoney.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has been soft on the BJP veteran L.K. Advani. And his party is not shying away in praising him without bothering how minorities would take it politically.
But neither the SP nor the BSP would ally with the BJP in UP before the polls.