Shopping for allies in south and east: BJP looks to make up for loss of friends

New Delhi, Dec 27: The BJP would look for newer allies ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The party has been facing discontent and desertion from its allies after the results of the five state elections were out.

It began with Chandrababu Naidu, whose TDP pulled out of the NDA. Recently the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RSLP) chief, Upendra Kushwaha parted ways with the BJP led NDA alliance. He went on to join the Grand Alliance in Bihar. He had quit over differences due to seat sharing.

The Apna Dal too joined the bandwagon and criticised the BJP for ignoring allies. Giving a clear indication that party was unhappy with the alliance, Apna Dal (S) president, Ashish Patel and Union Minister, Anupriya Patel decided that they would not participate in any event held by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.

Ashish Patel had said that the BJP should learn from the recent losses in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh assembly elections. The SP-BSP alliance is a challenge for the NDA, whose allies in UP are upset, he also said.

These events have been a wake-up call for the BJP. With allies parting ways and others threatening to do so, the BJP has begun the process of looking for new allies. Senior BJP leader, Ram Madhav admitted that smaller parties have left them. He however added that the BJP would get new allies in South India and eastern India.

Madhav, however added that this was something that happens before the elections and it is nothing new. We have completed seat sharing arrangements with allies in Bihar only last week. Alliance politics is all about accommodation and adjustments.

With just a few months to go for the elections, the BJP would look to sort out these issues soon. It has already lost three allies and would also chalk out a new strategy in case the SP and BSP come together in Uttar Pradesh.

Last week, the BJP sorted out issues with Ram Vilas Paswan, while giving his party two more seats, one in the Lok Sabha and another in the Rajya Saba.