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Journalism of Courage
Stung by what it calls betrayal by the Congress in Madhya Pradesh — where the national party ignored the Samajwadi Party’s (SP’s) call for alliance in the Assembly polls — party president Akhilesh Yadav led an aggressive campaign in the state, in a bid to hold on to its workers and to raise its bargaining power with the Congress for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls within the Opposition INDIA bloc.
A belligerent Akhilesh, responding to media queries on alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, said, “Any discussion on an alliance will happen when the Lok Sabha elections are at hand.” The SP chief also attacked the Congress by saying there was no difference in principles and programmes between it and the BJP.
SP leaders in MP admitted that the top leadership of the party has never been as involved in campaigning in the state in the past Assembly polls, with Akhilesh Yadav himself addressing 24 public rallies across 20 Assembly seats, besides leading “rath yatras” in three others. His wife and Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav too joined the campaign and addressed rallies to ensure better connect with women voters. It was the first time she had campaigned outside UP. The couple also visited temples to pray for the victory of party candidates.
Not only that. Akhilesh also sent his uncle and SP general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav, and cousin Dharmendra Yadav, to campaign in MP constituencies bordering UP. Sudhakar Singh, a Thakur, who was recently elected the SP MLA from Ghosi in Mau district of UP, was deployed in Deotalab Assembly area of MP, along with senior UP OBC leaders Ram Achal Rajbhar and Lalji Verma.
Earlier this year, Sudhakar’s bypoll win was projected as a victory of the INDIA bloc, with all its constituents, including the Congress, supporting the SP candidate.
SP Madhya Pradesh president Ramayan Singh Patel later claimed that the aggressive campaign would damage Congress chances in at least 25 Assembly seats. He added that the top SP leadership campaigned a lot more this time because its local organisation was in a good position and was prepared to field candidates on more seats than in 2018. The SP has fielded 72 candidates this year, compared to 52 in 2018, when it had won one.
Another party leader, though, said Akhilesh campaigned hard because the party unit in MP was confronted with an existential question, adding that the party had planned to contest 5-6 seats at a time it was holding alliance talks with the Congress. “Our workers, who had wanted to contest on other seats, had decided to stay neutral because the SP was not going to field them in case the alliance fructified. Some of them even joined other parties. When the Congress refused to ally at the last moment, the SP had only 15 days to put up a fight. Still, the top leaders camped in MP for several days to carry out an aggressive campaign, holding dialogues with workers. Certain remarks by state Congress chief Kamal Nath also hurt Akhilesh personally.”
The SP leader also added that holding on to party workers was necessary ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “In case the Congress again refuses to ally for the Lok Sabha polls, the SP will be prepared to contest in Madhya Pradesh alone. For that, the party needed to maintain organisational strength on the ground,” he said.
“If the SP goes on to win some seats in MP, or even manages to display its strength by damaging the Congress’s chances on some seats, its bargaining power for the Lok Sabha polls in UP and seats in MP bordering UP will increase,” said the leader.
Party spokesperson Udayveer Singh said, “After the Congress betrayed us in MP, the party had to work hard to keep its workers united; also because we believe in contesting every election with complete dedication.”
