Ajit goes with Nitish, but that means nothing in UP

The tie-up between Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal for the coming Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh has no more than symbolic value. The JD (U) has no grassroots presence in the State, and the RLD’s influence is limited to pockets of western Uttar Pradesh. The coalition is more of a snub to the ruling Samajwadi Party than a strategy to win the election. Only days ago, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav had ruled out a pre-poll alliance, and asked like-minded leaders and parties to merge with the SP. This obviously did not go down well with the RLD. The JD (U), which will now be pitted against the ruling party in the State, is still smarting from the earlier experience when Mulayam Singh Yadav had rejected the grand alliance being put in place in the run-up to the last Bihar Assembly election. This is its payback method. Ajit Singh has given two broad reasons for his decision. The first is that he believes the Samajwadi Party had sought to strengthen “communal” forces by refusing an alliance offer. The second is that he finds the party leader Mulayam Singh to be mercurial – once speaking in a coalition’s favour and then backing out. To lend credence to the newly stitched alliance, Ajit Singh hopes the Congress will join it. The Samajwadi Party had made half-hearted attempts at exploring the alliance possibility. Senior leader Shivpal Yadav had visited Delhi and initiated talks with others, including JD (U) leaders. Even before any progress could be registered, Mulayam Singh Yadav let it be known that his party would be going it alone in the coming election. That left Ajit Singh scampering to find partners. Perhaps the veteran SP leader had sniffed the futility of a coalition in terms of electoral gains, or perhaps he did not want to raise an already sulking Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s hackles. It’s not the SP that will be a loser in not having an arrangement with the RLD. Nor will the JD (U) have anything to bother in case the coalition cuts a sorry figure at the poll; its base in Bihar remains intact. But the RLD could face an existential crisis and Ajit Singh will come under pressure if the party fares poorly. While Ajit Singh accuses Mulayam Singh Yadav of flip-flops, the former does not have a dependable track record either. He has had dealing with nearly every political party and been part of many alliances at the Centre. He was a Minister in the National Front Government, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA Government, as well as a Congress-led regime. Besides, in Uttar Pradesh itself, he has partnered both the Samajwadi party and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party. It’s his migratory nature that has made others wary. The Samajwadi Party believes that a tie-up with the RLD would help the latter gain some seats in western Uttar Pradesh, at least in the dozen or so constituencies where the RLD has a strong presence. But there is no certainty that Ajit Singh would not then walk over to a rival side in a bid to get a better bargain. Mulayam Singh Yadav wanted to nip that possibility in the bud by suggesting that those like the RLD must merge with the SP. Clearly, Ajit Singh did not find the prospect amusing. In the first place, he would be just one more leader in the SP, dominated by the ruling Yadav family. He would be looked at with suspicion at all times. Besides, he would not have had the space to grow and fulfil his personal ambitions. More importantly for him and those associated with his father Charan Singh, a former Prime Minister and leader of immense consequence in western parts of the State, it would be a betrayal of a cause dear to Charan Singh’s heart. Given that Ajit Singh has worked with parties having conflicting ideologies and political agendas, nobody is sure of what he stands for. His critics are certain though: He stands for self-gain, nothing more. He was effusive in his praise for the BJP when he partnered it; he complimented the Congress and its dynasty (against whom his father had battled) when he allied with it; he had only recently found the SP the best bet for Uttar Pradesh’s prosperity; he also saw nothing with Mayawati and her party even as the nation was horrified by monumental corruption associated with them. Ajit Singh has been like the rolling stone that gathers no moss. His next move, post-result, could well be in keeping with his reputation of swaying with the wind. Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and views of ABP News Network Pvt Ltd.