Stark political realities emerging after the fourth consecutive defeat at the hands of the BJP led Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to resign from Lok Sabha and steer the party ship in Uttar Pradesh politics. The Samajwadi Party suffered a crushing defeat during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the SP was in power and its tally was reduced to 47 seats in the Assembly while the BJP registered a landslide victory by winning 325 seats along with its allies. In the recently-concluded Assembly elections, the SP projected itself as striking distance from power claiming to win 400 seats in the 403 member UP Assembly but could muster only 111 seats and 14 won by its allies.
“Had Akhilesh Yadav opted for retaining the Lok Sabha seat, he would have invited the charge of running away from the battle field. By opting for membership of Assembly he has demonstrated that he intends to lead the battle from the front and sent out a clear message to the party rank and file to gear up for a long haul,’’said a senior SP leader.
Akhilesh Yadav was an MP from eastern UP’s Azamgarh. He contested the Assembly election for the first time from family stronghold Karhal in Mainpuri this year. In November last year, Akhilesh had announced that he will not contest the state elections but was forced to change the stance as the BJP announced to field Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a candidate from Gorakhpur seat.
“Akhilesh Yadav is preparing for the next battle for the Lok Sabha election in 2024. The results of this battle will decide the terms of the next battle - UP Assembly elections in 2027. The SP cannot afford another defeat in Assembly elections and we have to start working for this from today itself,’’ an SP MLA said.
Samajwadi Party sources said that besides consolidating and sustaining the gains in the 2022 Assembly election, the SP chief has chosen to quit Lok Sabha as he wants to move ahead. “The 2022 electoral contest was clearly a battle between two identities — caste and Hindutva. The Hindutuva trampled over caste-based identity politics in 2014, 2017 and 2019. They also won in 2022 but this time Samajwadi Party effectively checked the unchallenged march of Hindutva forces by restricting the BJP seats at 255 and making a clean sweep in Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh and also wresting many other seats from the BJP earlier said to be the fortress of Hindutva,’’ said the SP leader.
A political analyst said, “By opting for retaining the Assembly seat Akhilesh has given a clear signal that he plans to consolidate the new earned support of the numerically small social groups included in OBCs category, which were earlier won over by the BJP over Hindutva plank in earlier three elections in 2014, 2017 and 2019.’’
Ever since Yogi Adityanath became Chief Minister of UP in March 2017, the SP sought to corner the government over law and order issues. Be it Hathras, Lakhimpur issues and several other incidents, law and order was the main issue to target the Yogi government. Akhilesh Yadav as Leader of Opposition will have the opportunity to shed the baggage of ‘Goondaraj’ and poor law and order during the previous SP regime.
“Akhilesh Yadav will obviously be the leader of opposition. This will enable him not only to keep his flock together but also consolidate his hold in the party. Akhilesh as Leader of Opposition will also keep the aspiration of his estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav under check, who has also been elected to the Assembly,’’ said the SP leader.