SP sends feelers to Left-NCP alliance

After breaking away from the grand anti-BJP alliance in Bihar on Thursday, the Samajwadi Party’s State unit had prepared a list of candidates for the 243-member Assembly. But the decision to release the list has been put on hold, in what is being seen as a softening of its stand.

The list of candidates was to be announced soon after the party’s Parliamentary Board meeting in Lucknow on Thursday.

Confirming this, a top SP leader told

BusinessLine that the leadership was in touch with all “secular” parties to find a way out. “We know that the BJP is the only party happy with our decision. We took this decision as we, and our leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, were treated badly by the RJD-JD(U)-Congress alliance. We didn’t take extreme steps as discussions are still continuing. Otherwise, our Bihar unit was ready with candidates for most of the seats,” he said.

BJP hand denied Denying reports that the BJP was behind the decision, he said SP would always be part of the “secular” alliance. He said the party was in touch with the Left parties to join its alliance with the NCP.

“They had approached us. We asked them to come up with a proposal. They are yet to get back,” a senior Left leader said.

Senior SP leader Azam Khan was not present in the Parliamentary Board meeting.

A section of the Muslim leaders in the party is apparently miffed at the decision to leave the “secular” alliance in Bihar. This is also forcing the SP leadership to do a re-think on the issue. “Elections are far away. Anything can happen,” the leader added. SP leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav are likely to meet the Left leadership in the coming days. Sources in the Left parties said they will take a decision only after finding out the real intention of the Samajwadi Party.