Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav (File Photo)
The Samajwadi Party, busy expanding outside Uttar Pradesh, has pulled back from the Haryana assembly elections. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Friday that it is not about fielding candidates on two-four seats, it is about understanding the pain and suffering of the people and liberating them from BJP politics. For this SP is ready to make every sacrifice and will support India Alliance in Haryana elections to defeat BJP. In such a situation, the question is that if Akhilesh has shown big heart in Haryana, will Congress be able to show big heart in UP?
After winning 37 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, Akhilesh Yadav is working on a strategy to give recognition to the SP on the national platform. For this he was preparing to contest the Haryana assembly elections. The SP state unit in Haryana had planned to contest on 17 seats. SP state president Surendra Bhati also sent details of 17 seats to Akhilesh Yadav. SP was eyeing seats like Julana, Sohna, Bawal, Beri, Charkhi-Dadri and Ballabgarh.
Akhilesh withdrew from Haryana elections
SP president Akhilesh Yadav is trying to contest elections with Congress in Haryana. For this, talks were also going on with the top leadership of the Congress regarding meetings. However, Congress was not in favor of giving more than one seat to SP. In such a situation, Akhilesh has given up contesting the Haryana elections. He tweeted that this is not about the seat but about defeating the BJP. We believe that for us or for any of the constituent parties of the Indian Alliance, this is not the time to explore our political prospects, but to make sacrifices. SP is wholeheartedly ready to make every sacrifice in the interest of Haryana. We will combine the strength of our organization and supporters with India Alliance to defeat BJP.
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SP will give full support to Congress
By withdrawing his steps from the Haryana elections, Akhilesh has given the entire ground to the Congress to contest the elections. In the 2023 Madhya Pradesh elections, the SP fielded candidates on 71 seats, as seat sharing could not be negotiated with the Congress. Now, even before the agreement in Haryana, the SP has not only backed out of contesting the assembly elections but has also assured Congress its full support. The way the SP chief has sacrificed in Haryana, will the Congress be able to show big heart in UP and secure a respectable seat in Maharashtra?
What is Akhilesh’s mood for the UP by-elections?
By-elections are to be held on 10 assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh. UP Congress President Ajay Rai has said that the Congress will contest on 5 out of 10 seats in the by-elections. When Akhilesh Yadav was questioned about this, he said that biscuits come in 50-50. The SP is trying to retain its victory in five Assembly seats and capture the NDA’s five Assembly seats. In such a situation, Akhilesh is in a mood to give only one to two seats to Congress in the by-elections.
After winning six seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the morale of the Congress is high. Because of this, Congress is hoping to regain its foothold in UP politics. For this she is looking for a big opportunity for herself in the 2027 assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi is constantly on a tour of UP. In such a situation, Congress is claiming five seats in the by-election. The Congress, which contested on 17 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, plans to contest on more than 100 seats in the 2027 assembly elections.
Congress will be big in UP by-election?
However, just as the Congress is strong in Haryana, so is the SP in UP. While SP is weak in Haryana, the condition of Congress in UP is also not very good. Akhilesh Yadav has talked about making every sacrifice to defeat the BJP instead of trading seats with the Congress in Haryana, can the Congress similarly show great courage in the UP bypolls? The Congress will drop its insistence on contesting by-elections on five seats, as the by-elections are being considered as a litmus test for the 2027 assembly.
What is Akhilesh’s strategy?
In the Lok Sabha elections, the SP contested the election under a changed strategy and gave a crushing defeat to the BJP. Akhilesh Yadav is now trying to maintain the SP’s momentum in the assembly by-elections. By this they seem to be trying to set the contours of the assembly elections 2027, but the Congress has raised concerns by demanding five seats. In such a situation, Akhilesh Yadav has put pressure on the Congress for the UP by-elections and the Maharashtra assembly elections by supporting the India Alliance in the Haryana elections.
SP demands in Maharashtra elections
The SP is contesting about 10 seats in the Maharashtra assembly elections. Akhilesh Yadav appointed his senior leader Mata Prasad Pandey, MLA Lucky Yadav, Tufani Saroj and Indrajit Saroj as the in-charge of Maharashtra assembly elections. Maharashtra state president Abu Asim Azmi is a big face. Recently, Abu Azmi has worked to build momentum by organizing a reception for all SP MPs in Mumbai. The party currently has two MLAs.
The SP plans to contest in seats dominated by Muslims and North Indian voters in Maharashtra, for which the party has almost finalized the names of candidates. The party is eyeing seats in Mumbai and the adjoining Thane district. Preparations have been made to field candidates in Muslim-majority constituencies like Dhulia and Aurangabad in Maharashtra, besides Mumbai’s Mankor Shivaji Nagar, Byculla, Versova and adjoining Bhiwandi East and Thane’s Bhiwandi West. SP’s Abu Azmi from Mankar Shivaji Nagar seat and Raees Sheikh from Bhiwandi East are the incumbent MLAs of the party. This time SP wants to increase the number of MLAs in Maharashtra.
The friendship between the parties may be affected
In return for the sacrifice in Haryana, the SP wants respectable seats in the UP by-elections and the Maharashtra assembly elections. Just as the SP did not get seats in the state on the basis of election performance and land in Haryana, pressure has been created for the Congress in the UP by-elections. Congress is claiming five seats here, but it will be difficult for it to win more than one seat. Like Haryana in Maharashtra too, if there is no dialogue with the Congress, it may also affect the friendship between the two parties in Uttar Pradesh politics.
