Apparently taking a cue from Bharatiya Janata Party, the Samajwadi Party has decided to conduct surveys in each of 80 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state ahead of deciding the candidates for the parliamentary elections.
The survey will also collect information about the candidates of the rival party who won the election in 2019. After the survey, the party plans to draw constituency-specific poll strategies.
The survey will also include Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency, the lone seat won by the Congress in 2019. The SP did not field its candidates from Rae Bareli in the last four Lok Sabha elections. The SP has also indicated that it may contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats.
Sources in the SP said a questionnaire was being drafted for the survey. The SP has already distributed a proforma for collecting information about the candidates and Lok Sabha constituencies and it has been given to all district presidents of the party. The district presidents have been asked to furnish detailed information to the state office of the party within the next four-five weeks.
The questions in the proforma include details regarding the local MP, along with the party, five major works and achievements of the incumbent, five key promises made but not fulfilled, and five major expectations of the constituency’s voters from the next Member of Parliament. The SP wants its leaders to come up with specific expectations of the people, apart from general issues such as inflation and unemployment.
The information to be furnished in the proforma will also include the detailed caste profile and electoral equations in a constituency. Apart from this, SP district presidents have been asked to come up with honest opinions regarding the party organisation in their area.
A SP leader said such exercise had to be conducted in an objective and honest manner for ascertaining the electoral strength of the party in each Lok Sabha constituency.
SP at present has only three MPs from Uttar Pradesh. SP had won five Lok Sabha seats in 2019 but the Bharatiya Janata Party wrested Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha seats from it in the by-elections held in 2022. The BJP won 62 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in 2019, and its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) another two.
SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said: “Inputs collected from district presidents would also be used for the selection of candidates. The party will highlight how BJP MPs failed to meet expectations of the people despite having their government both in the state and at the Centre.”
In 2019, the SP contested the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal. The BSP won 10 seats, the SP won five and the RLD none.
“Our focus will be seats where the BJP, Apna Dal (S) and BSP won last time (the BSP is no more an SP ally, though the RLD remains one),” another party leader said.