SP, Congress bonhomie on ground as they fight BJP — and their past experience

This couldn’t have come at a better time for both parties. While SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is in the fray in Kannauj, which votes on Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting from Rae Bareli, which votes on May 20.

Both leaders have in recent days led the push for a united fight, holding joint rallies. Last Friday, Rahul campaigned for Akhilesh at a joint rally in Kannauj, only the second such show of strength since elections began on April 19. This was followed by another joint rally in Kanpur the same day for Congress candidate Alok Mishra.

The SP and Congress, however, are not only fighting against the ruling BJP but also their experience from the last time they were together.

In the 2017 Assembly polls, when the SP and Congress were in alliance, they were drubbed by the BJP, which won 312 out of the total 403 seats. The SP won 47 out of the 311 seats it contested and the Congress won 7 out of 114 seats it fought. While the BJP bagged 39.67% of the vote share, the SP got 21.82% and the Congress 6.25%.

Leaders of both parties say it was different then. The alliance was largely visible at the top level and co-ordination was missing at the grassroots, they say. Also, unlike this time, both had fielded candidates against each other in 14 seats.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, both fought separately with the SP trying an alliance with the BSP. The SP won only 5 of the 37 seats it contested, while BSP won 10 out of 38 seats. The Congress won only one seat — Rae Bareli.

“Compared to 2017, there are certainly more efforts to make the alliance work at the grassroots level this time,” says a senior Congress leader.

In Rae Bareli, the bonhomie efforts show on the ground.

The SP, which in the past had been soft in its Lok Sabha campaign in Rae Bareli and Amethi by not fielding candidates against the Gandhi family members, has gone a step ahead this time with its grassroots leaders actively participating in the Congress’s campaign.

Local SP MLAs and grassroots leaders, including the district president and block in-charges, accompany Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi to her every meeting. There is reciprocation from the Congress as well.

Not only do SP flags figure along with the Congress flags at such “nukkad (street corner) meetings”, their representatives – wearing the party’s red caps and stole – occupy the front rows to send across the message of an united fight.

On some occasions, Priyanka ensures that local SP leaders stand on her one side and local Congress leaders stand on the other. SP workers are often seen at such meetings wearing stoles of their own party and Congress caps.

Local SP leaders say they have instructions from their party chief Akhilesh to extend all support on the ground. As part of the strategy, while the party’s district president and local MLA or former MLA accompany Priyanka, the SP’s block pramukhs from the particular Assembly segment are present at the nukkad meetings even before Priyanka’s arrival.

“He is our local MLA, even block pramukhs are present. District president Virendra Yadav is accompanying Priyanka ji,” says Sanjay, a local SP worker, pointing towards his party MLA Shyam Sundar Bharti, who had arrived before Priyanka reached one such meeting last week.

“Akhilesh ji has instructed us to support them in their campaign,” he says.

Support of the SP – which is the senior ally in the state – is crucial for the Congress as it has a strong presence in the Assembly segments under the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency.

Out of five Assembly segments, the SP had won four – Bachcharawan, Harchandpur, Sareni and Unchahar – in 2022. While SP MLA from Unchahar Manoj Pandey has turned rebel, the other three sitting MLAs have been tasked with pushing the alliance campaign along with Congress leaders in their respective Assembly segments.

Asked about the support plan for the Congress in Rae Bareli, SP district president Virendra Yadav says, “On the instructions of Akhilesh Yadav ji, we have formed Vidhan Sabha wise teams. These include local MLAs or former Assembly candidates, block pramukhs and booth in-charges… Even I accompany Priyanka ji to her nukkad meetings.”

“Akhilesh ji ayenge campaign ke liye yahan (Akhilesh will come to campaign here),” he says, emphasising the importance of the party’s seriousness.

The bonding was also seen in Lakhimpur Kheri recently when Akhilesh went there to campaign for SP candidate Utkarsh Verma. Despite initial reports of resentment by some local Congress leaders, party’s former MP Jafar Ali Naqvi, a known face in the region, accompanied Akhilesh. Lakhimpur Kheri is part of the Kheri constituency, which also votes on Monday.

On Sunday, Akhilesh visited Barabanki, where he campaigned for Congress’s Tanuj Punia, son of veteran leader P L Punia. Referring to the poll symbols of SP and Congress, he said at a rally: “Cycle walon, Panja dabaoge ki nahin dabaoge? (SP supporters, will you vote for the Congress or not.)”

There are more such meetings in store. Akhilesh and Rahul are scheduled to address joint rallies on May 17, not just in Rae Bareli but also in Amethi, from where the Congress has fielded party loyalist K L Sharma. Sources say joint meetings are also likely in Varanasi, from where Congress state president Ajay Rai is contesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi; and Deoria, from where Congress’s Akhilesh Pratap Singh is contesting. Congress leaders say that in Jhansi, Akhilesh is likely to address the rally alone in favour of Congress’s Pradeep Jain Aditya.

Incidentally, in most of these seats the Congress had managed to get over 1 lakh votes last time, and hopes are pinned on the support from the SP this time.

Under the seat-sharing agreement this time, while the SP’s share is 63 seats, the Congress is contesting from 17 seats in the state.