Uttar Pradesh BJP chief says don’t see any grand alliance taking shape

By Abhinav PandeynnLUCKNOW: The BJP Thursday said it does not see any grand alliance taking shape against it as there are many “gaps and contradictions” among opposition parties, even as it exuded confidence of increasing its tally in Uttar Pradesh in the next Lok Sabha polls.nn”The BJP’s performance will be better in 2019 compared to 2014, when the party and its allies bagged a lion’s share of 73 seats (of total 80 seats),” state BJP President Mahendra Nath Pandey told PTI in an interview here.nnAsked about the opposition parties’ attempt to form a grand alliance to take on the BJP, he said, “I don’t see it taking place.”nn”There are many gaps and contradictions among them. Even if it (alliance) is formed, it will not last.”nnUndeterred by the BSP and the SP eyeing the Dalit and OBC votes, besides the Muslim electorates, Pandey said his party was doing its own ground work.nn”We are taking along the castes which they (SP, BSP) bank upon. We have recently held successful OBC conferences (between Sept 4-24) in which backward caste representatives from all over the state actively participated,” he said.nnThe conference saw overwhelming response from the backward classes as they see Prime Minister Narendra Modi as their leader, the UP BJP chief said.nn”Besides, we are soon going to organise Dalit sammelan (conference) and ‘prabuddh’ (intellectuals’) meet. These sections have only been cheated by previous SP and BSP regimes in the state. Only the BJP is the party which is really working with ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’ motive. This is the reason for our success,” he said.nnHe said that his party was working at several levels to increase its victory margin.nn”We are highlighting our work at the Centre and state and above all Modiji’s personality, which will be presented before the people.”nn”At the organisation level, we are emphasising on ensuring our presence from booth to division to assembly and Lok Sabha segments. We are doing a micro-planning for that,” he said.nnNoting that the party has a lot to tell the people about the good work and projects its governments at the Centre and state have initiated, Pandey said, “We will reach out to people and inform them about these works and are confident of getting their positive response in terms of votes. No government has done such a good work till now.”nn”The party will bank on the “towering personality” of Modi ji, who is loved by all sections of the society due to this ‘working style and aura’. Our leader is accepted by all. No other leader can stand in front of him. Opposition has not one (leader), who can challenge him,” he asserted.nnThe BJP state president said he was “sure” his party will form the government at the Centre again and UP’s contribution will be remarkable.nnPandey’s remarks assume significance amid reports of the SP and the BSP toying the idea of cobbling an alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, barely few months away, as they had done in bye-elections to Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Kairana constituencies of the Lower House, in which ruling BJP candidates were defeated.nnBuoyed by this success, reports of bonhomie between SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his BSP counterpart Mayawati started doing the rounds in political circles.nnThere were talks that the Congress too might be roped in in the proposed alliance. But in what is seen as a snub to the grand old party, Mayawati dumped it and tied up with the party of rebel Congress leader Ajit Jogi for the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections and projected him as the chief ministerial candidate.nnAlso, the SP too suffered a setback when its stalwart Shivpal Yadav floated a new front as he felt he was being sidelined in the parent party.nn”These gaps and contradictions will make our task further easy,” said the state BJP president, who is a Lok Sabha member from Chandauli.nnSource: Press Trust of India