Mulayam Singh, Mayawati's absence from Nitish Kumar's swearing in ceremony a fresh reminder of old contradictions

NEW DELHI: Nitish Kumar’s swearing in ceremony lost some of its sheen as neither Mayawati nor Mulayam Singh Yadav sent their representatives to the event that was touted to showcase the emergence of a non-BJP national axis.

The decision of the two leaders not to be seen as Kumar’s cheerleaders exposed an UP-sized gaping hole in Bihar CM’s ambitions, if any, of crafting a national alternative to the BJP in 2019 general election after having trounced the party in the recent state polls. First, it was BSP chief Mayawati who decided not to send a party representative to the ceremony.

Then SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav pulled out his party’s participant from the show at Patna, much to the embarrassment of Kumar, who had publicised the presence of Yadav’s son, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, on the occasion.

Though 2019 Lok Sabha polls are far away, many of PM Modi’s political opponents found some hope in the victory of the grand alliance led by Kumar in Bihar elections. The no-show by SP and BSP at Kumar’s swearing-in ceremony, however, underscored the inherent difficulties in stitching an alliance of non-BJP forces.

“When Modi and Sonia are not going to the ceremony, why should Behenji (Mayawati) go?” asked a BSP member. An SP member said: “The way Nitish treated Netaji (Mulayam) during seat sharing, why Netaji should go to celebrate his ascendance.” Yadav had pulled SP out of the grand alliance, citing differences over seat sharing. With 80 Lok Sabha seats, Uttar Pradesh is considered critical to the success of any power bid at the national level.

The reluctance of both SP and BSP to be part of the political jamboree in Patna serves as a fresh reminder of the old contradictions before Kumar.