After three meetings of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) having reached a broad consensus on seat sharing and political agenda, the Samajwadi Party is gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The main opposition party in Uttar Pradesh is all set to intensify its campaign to reach out to its electorate – PDA (Pichhada, Dalit Alpsankhyak). The SP has also reached a consensus with the Congress on seat sharing.
Sources in the SP said Congress had asked for a minimum 20 Lok Sabha seats in UP. Akhilesh Yadav is reportedly not averse to the idea of sharing 20 seats with the Congress.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is now concentrating his focus on the selection of suitable candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.
The sources said the party was working on a strategy to lay more focus on the backward classes, Dalits and minorities and was already standing strong in the INDIA alliance.
The sources said that in the case of the election being fought in alliance, the SP would lay more focus on 35-40 Lok Sabha seats.
Akhilesh Yadav has also initiated the process for forming a committee of 10 members to give representation to the Other Backward Classes, Dalits and minorities in ticket distribution for Lok Sabha. The SP is also working to formulate a plan for ‘PDA Sadho Abhiyan’ and ‘PDA will defeat NDA’ slogans. The SP leaders involved in the campaign have been tasked with the responsibility of contacting 100 voters in each polling station and collecting their details.
The party has also created six zones in every assembly constituency and will organise conferences there to garner the support of the backward class.
Akhilesh Yadav’s party is planning an aggressive campaign in Uttar Pradesh, where, along with focusing on strengthening the cadre, the party will work on the ground as well. The party will also be working minutely with the candidates on each seat.
Also, the Rashtriya Lok Dal will be looking at double-digit numbers in western Uttar Pradesh, which will be a major concern in seat sharing for the SP. The RLD is anxious to come out of the shadow of the SP. The RLD has maintained that it is a constituent of the INDIA bloc and has no separate alliance with the SP.
“Akhilesh Yadav is currently the only face of the opposition in UP, and with a strong coalition and strong groundwork, only the SP has the capacity to challenge the hegemony of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” said a senior SP leader.