Sources from UP have stated that earlier on Tuesday, as westerlies swept into Delhi bringing with them a biting cold, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad indicated that the next challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP would come from east of New Delhi, rising perhaps from the shores of the Hooghly and gathering storm over the Sangam.
Ghulam Nabi Azad's announcement of an alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh has not just indicated the direction of the wind in 2017. It has also defined the contours of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In all likelihood, Akhilesh would be part of at least a troika of leaders that would take on Modi. By his side would be Rahul Gandhi and, if she can control her ambition and ego, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Meanwhile Akhilesh, on his part, has realized the importance
of gathering in his basket every voter opposed to the BJP, not giving them a
chance to disintegrate. In a triangular fight, the SP chief understands how
just a minor swing can make or break the fortune of a political party.
It was stated that the SP polled 29.29 % votes in the 2012 assembly elections. The Congress got around 13% in the seats it contested. In politics, 29 plus 13 is rarely 42. But even if Akhilesh gets the lion's share of the Congress vote, he would be hoping to sweep the polls.
