New Delhi: A bond could be seen forming at the swearing-in ceremony of H D Kumaraswamy, between the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Supremo Mayavati and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, on May 23. The two women political leaders were seen engaged in an enthusiastic conversation, even holding each other’s arms on the occasion which has given rise to suppositions that the two parties might become allies.
The oath taking ceremony on Wednesday, May 23 was the biggest show of strength by the opposition where prominent national leaders such as BSP Supremo Mayawati, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee, Telangana CM Chandrababu Naidu, NCP Leader Sharad Pawar, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and others were present.
It has been reported that the Congress may have already extended a hand to the BSP with hopes of an alliance in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Considering that the party is looking to go national, Mayavati will in all likelihood be the prime ministerial candidate for the the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Evidence of the BSP’s efforts to come out of Uttar Pradesh were seen in the recent Karnataka elections where a party candidate formed a pre-poll alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular). The BSP was able to win one seat in the Assembly.
At H D Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony, other opposition leaders such as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, were also seen interacting with the BSP chief. The entire opposition posed for a photo at the end, with their hands raised, showcasing their unity.
