New Delhi: The Congress is planning to place its bets on party chief Mallikarjun Kharge by fielding him from a reserved parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh to swing the Dalit votes in the 2024 national elections. According to party insiders, Kharge, a Dalit leader, may be fielded from a safe seat either in western (Etawa) or eastern (Barabanki) parts of the state.
As per party strategists, the move may help the Congress send a strong message to the SC voters in UP, who had been supporting Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati for decades after parting ways with the grand old party.
The Congress move to field its party chief is aimed at wooing the BSP supporters in Uttar Pradesh and is based on the premise that Mayawati, who is not willing to join the Opposition alliance INDIA, may not have much influence in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, much like her party performed in the 2019 national polls.
Further, with the coming together of the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in the state under the INDIA banner, the allies would chip in with the extra votes to swing the polls in favour of Kharge.
“If the Congress fields (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji, it will certainly send a strong message among the BSP supporters not only in the state but outside also. After all, he is respected across the country. In politics, messaging is very important,” senior SP leader Rajaram Pal ETV Bharat.
Pal, who joined the SP in 2022 after spending decades in the Congress, said the 2024 national elections were not about choosing a Prime Minister but about saving the Constitution.
“I keep meeting people in the villages. I find there is greater awareness among them to safeguard the Constitution this time than choosing a Prime Minister,” said Pal.
According to Pal, the Opposition allies will have no hassles finalizing the seat-sharing in UP and claimed that together the Congress, SP and RLD would bag most of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
“The SP is the major Opposition player in the state and is doing its bit to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). We will give as many seats to the Congress as they are confident to win. Wherever needed, we will help the Congress candidates win,” he said.
On its part, the Congress has been taking pride in the fact that the grand old party elected a Dalit who has risen through the ranks to the top post last year. Since then, the Congress has been focusing on regaining its traditional Dalit voters and has launched a special leadership development program in reserved parliamentary seats across the country.
Former Uttar Pradesh unit chief Brijlal Khabri, an ex-BSP leader, was brought in last year as part of the plan to woo Mayawati’s support base. “Of course, the Dalit voters are looking for a new anchor and the Congress can play that role. (Mallikarjun) Khargeji as a Lok Sabha candidate would certainly send a strong message in the community,” Brijlal Khabri told ETV Bharat.
In 2019, when the SP and BSP contested the national polls together against the BJP, the BSP won 10 seats while the SP got 5. The Congress had just one seat. However, in the 2022 UP assembly polls, the BSP could win just one seat and the Congress two seats while the SP won 111 seats.
Also read: LS polls: BJP-JD(S) may come together but cannot suppress Cong's prospects in Karnataka, says Kharge
