‘INDIA’ invite eludes Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad; is Mayawati a hurdle?

The ‘INDIA’ bloc is now a 28-party Opposition front against the BJP, but the Uttar Pradesh-based Azad Samaj Party (ASP) is yet to find a place in it despite willingness to join. ASP and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad has extended open support to the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Samajwadi Party (SP)—both ‘INDIA’ constituents—but did not get an invite to be a part of the coalition or attend its recent conclave in Mumbai.

Incidentally, the Apna Dal (K), another ally of the SP and RLD, was invited to the last two ‘INDIA’ meetings. ASP functionaries say they are perplexed by the uncertainty and expecting some clarity from senior leaders of the Opposition front. There is speculation that the ‘INDIA’ bloc doesn’t want to risk inviting another Dalit outfit till the time Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati takes a final call on whether to join the front.

Sources in the ‘INDIA’ front confirmed that the doors remain wide open for Mayawati. “We may wait for Mayawati till the results of upcoming assembly polls in five states. There is hope that she will take a call by December. Mayawati joining ‘INDIA’ would be a big boost,” said a senior Congress leader. He added that a call on the ASP may be taken by the ‘INDIA’ bloc’s new coordination committee and that several parties were likely to be included.

According to its leaders, the ASP wants to contest the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the SP and RLD. The party had backed the SP-RLD candidate for the Khatuali assembly bypoll in Uttar Pradesh last November, ensuring victory against the BJP. A senior ASP leader claimed alliance talks with the SP and RLD were nearly done and a seat-sharing formula was awaited. On ‘INDIA’, he remarked: “It’s their responsibility to take along all non-NDA (National Democratic Alliance) parties that have shown interest.”

Political analysts believe the SP and RLD are backing Azad in Uttar Pradesh to present an alternative to Mayawati. Azad is seen to have connect with the Dalit youth in the state’s western belt. He runs over 300 Bhim Army ‘pathshalas’, offering free education to children from the weaker sections. Azad had unsuccessfully contested against chief minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur in the 2022 assembly polls, losing his deposit. He has since been focusing on building his organisation across the state.

Dalits make up about 20 per cent of Uttar Pradesh’s estimated 230 million population. The inclusion of Azad could arguably give ‘INDIA’ a young Dalit face with traction in the community. According to political commentator Shilp Shikha Singh, who teaches at Lucknow’s Giri Institute of Development Studies, Azad’s political future will depend on the choices he makes. “Joining ‘INDIA’ would be good for him as well as the Opposition alliance. It will boost the number of partners and send out a message to the Dalit community. Mayawati’s entry does not look easy at the moment,” she said.

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