With the dates for the Lok Sabha election set to be declared soon, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has hinted at mending ties with the Ansari family that wields influence in Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh) to strengthen its electoral prospects in the region.
The move comes following the SP’s former ally, the Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) with influence over Rajbhar votes in eastern U.P., joining the BJP-led NDA last year and the BSP maintaining its stand of going solo in the parliamentary poll.
“Jo aap soch rahe ho, vahi baat hai (The matter is exactly what’s on your mind),” SP chief Akhilesh Yadav recently told reporters in Ballia when asked if the party plans to field BSP MP Afzal Ansari from Ghazipur in the election. Mr. Yadav and senior SP leaders attending the wedding of Mr. Ansari’s daughter had also fuelled the buzz.
