BJP trying to get new allies in TN & other states, tweaking ally strategy

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is searching for new allies in states such as Tamil Nadu and is likely to poach winnable candidates from rival parties.

Sources said the SP-BSP alliance and the formal entry of Priyanka Gandhi into politics has made the BJP brass warmer to Apna Dal and SBSP, its two partners from UP. Both the allies appear to be ‘unhappy’ and are ostensibly ‘trying to extract more’ from the senior partner. The BJP is likely to acquiesce to some of their demands due to their sizable vote bank in east UP, the region assigned to Priyanka by the Congress.

The BJP’s target is to keep Kurmi and Rajbhar votes with the NDA. Sources said the party was also in touch with Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel’s mother Krishna and her sister Pallavi who have formed another outfit. They have also laid claim to Sonelal Patel’s legacy and reportedly have a good base in Mirzapur and the adjoining areas. During the UP elections, BJP had fielded Brijesh Pathak and SP Maurya (both earlier with BSP) and Rita Bahuguna Joshi (Congress), among others, after they switched sides. They not only won the elections, but were also made ministers. The BJP may field over three dozen leaders from rival parties in various constituencies, the sources said. The party will bank on regional groupings to bolster the NDA in Tamil Nadu, a senior leader said.


It is in touch with both factions of AIADMK as well as the smaller parties to build a “rainbow alliance”. Efforts are on to placate Shiv Sena too. While a `100-crore memorial for Balasaheb Thackeray has been sanctioned, top BJP leaders, both at the Centre and in Maharashtra, have been holding periodic talks with Sena chief Udhav Thackeray. The final settlement is likely to be a pact on seat sharing for both the Lok Sabha and state polls and holding the two simultaneously. Maharashtra elections are due later this year.

The need for new allies has also arisen as the TDP, PDP, AGP and RLSP have snapped ties with the BJP.