Politics
Rationally Speaking: Both SP and BSP Would Want The Other Side To Fail
- It is in the interest of both Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav that while their own party scores high in Uttar Pradesh, the other side fares poorly. This will make their side important in a post-election scenario and render the other one irrelevant.
Presidents of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party, Mayawati (L) and Akhilesh Yadav. (Subhankar Chakraborty/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
On the alliance between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh, I think, the most important question is-what exactly does the alliance want?
Fundamentally, SP and BSP’s interests are misaligned in this coalition. What they are really looking for, is not secularism as some teenagers believe, but a slice of the pie. The larger the pie for each, the more critical that party will be to forming the next government. So, regardless of how the rest of the country shapes up, each party would prefer that they do very well and the other party does poorly, so that they are critical to the government formation and the other party is not.
So, in this “alliance”, each party wants to benefit from the others’ vote bank while hoping that their vote bank does not transfer votes in constituencies where they are not contesting.
Or maybe I am overthinking. They may have come together not for vote bank politics but for upholding democracy and secularism.
Introducing ElectionsHQ + 50 Ground Reports Project
The 2024 elections might seem easy to guess, but there are some important questions that shouldn't be missed.
Do freebies still sway voters? Do people prioritise infrastructure when voting? How will Punjab vote?
The answers to these questions provide great insights into where we, as a country, are headed in the years to come.
Swarajya is starting a project with an aim to do 50 solid ground stories and a smart commentary service on WhatsApp, a one-of-a-kind. We'd love your support during this election season.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
