Stung by the poll reversals in recent civic bodies polls, especially in Muslim-dominated areas, Samajwadi Party leaders have embarked on a campaign seeking to drive home the point to Muslims that the party's defeat would only strengthen BJP.
To buttress their point, SP leaders argue that wherever the Muslims transferred their votes to Congress, the BJP candidates have emerged victorious. Chief Minister and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's anger and desperation was palpable in the assembly during its recent sitting when he attributed the civic bodies poll defeat to a tacit understanding between the BJP and Congress.
The SP, which considers itself to be the only 'saviour' of Muslims, was shocked by the defeat of its candidates at places like Bareilly, Aligarh, Meerut where Muslims have a sizeable presence.
To compound their woes, the SP candidate in Lucknow finished a poor third behind Congress in the Mayoral poll. "It is in our interest to drive home the point to Muslims that transfer of their votes to Congress would see emergence of BJP", said a senior SP leader.
The SP is particularly perturbed over impressive showing by Congress mayoral candidates in the polls as it signified a marked shift of Muslim votes towards the party. The rivalry for Muslim votes was on show in the assembly when both Congress and SP accused each other of having been in league with BJP.
While SP leader Azam Khan went deep into post-independence history alleging that 24,000 communal riots had taken place during successive Congress regimes at the Centre. He also charged it was Congress which had expressed doubts over the patriotism of Muslims and raids were conducted at Islamic institutions like Deoband. Congress leaders were quick to denounce the SP's attempt to link the party with the saffron outfit. Congress legislature party leader Pramod Tewari said it was SP which had joined hands with the saffron party in 1977 at the Centre and again in 1989 in the state.
Tiwari claimed Muslims had reposed their faith in Congress in civic elections as they had realised that only this party could keep communal forces at bay.
He also referred to the various steps taken by the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for the welfare of muslims.
Quick to repel the perception that Muslims were moving away from its fold, the SP government decided to bring a resolution in the assembly to exert pressure on the Union government to amend the Constitition paving the way for inclusion of Dalit Muslims within the definition of scheduled castes.
Muslim organisations, while welcoming the move, pledged their support to Yadav if his efforts for getting the constitution amended bore fruit.
The resolution will now be sent to the Congress-led government at the Centre, political observers said. They said the Centre was certain to find itself in a sharp situation on the resolution as any refusal to accede to the demand could paint the party anti-Muslim.
With the elections nearing, the battle for Muslim votes between the two parties is only likely to intensify, observers say.