As in the past, the Pune Lok Sabha seat will witness a tussle between the Congress and the BJP. But the old rivals are staring at a clutch of smaller parties that threaten to rock their boat. These smaller parties had secured, between them, some 25,000 votes in the 2004 elections and are now gearing up to grab more.

The BSP, Janata Dal (S), RPI factions, Independents and now the Samajwadi Party have already begun “making noises” to get noticed by the big brothers. The BSP, which had made its presence felt by securing 9,100 votes in 2004, is the first to take off with the hope of “making a difference”.

“The party made inroads into the city in 2004 without a big campaign. This time, we hope to do better as the party has established a network,” said Kiran Alhat, state BSP secretary and in charge of party affairs for Pune.

The BSP will organise a training workshop and a rally at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch on February 27. “Our main vote bank is the Dalit. However, the social engineering initiative of Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh has changed public opinion,” he said.

Not to lag behind, the Samajwadi Party is set to make its debut in the Pune Lok Sabha seat. “The party recently held a rally of workers and we are ready to take the plunge,” said city chief Anees Ahmed. He said senior party leaders are discussing alliances with leading parties in the state. “If required, we will contest on our own.”

Ahmed said the SP has a good following in the state and it will provide a better option for Dalit Muslims. “There are sections of society that struggle for justice and the SP is better option for them,” he said, adding that there is a deep resentment among north Indians over the agitation against them and the SP is well connected with this community.

Though the party does not have the strength to win the Pune seat, Ahmed sees this as an opportunity to strengthen its base in the region and make itself noticeable by going all alone.

“Political parties have affiliations to certain sections of society and don’t let go any chance to exploit them. There are political parties that cannot win the elections, but want to have their pie and make themselves noticeable,” a political observer said.

“Smaller parties jointly make a big difference as they grab a substantial chunk of votes that can, otherwise, determine the result,” another observer said.