Winning UP the goal, how Akhilesh Yadav plans to deal BJP a blow in 2027

Indian Express

04-05-2025

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh may be more than a year-and-a-half away, but Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has already started spelling out his promises to voters, focusing on the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) who have mostly backed the BJP in recent elections in the state. According to party insiders, all these will be included in the SP's election manifesto.
In his latest such promise on Friday, Akhilesh said if voted to power, the SP would install a statue of Raja Suheldev at the Gomti riverfront in Lucknow. 'The sword in Suheldev's hand will be made of 'ashtadhatu (eight elements)' mixed with gold,' he said. According to SP insiders, Akhilesh made the announcement to honour the wishes of Mahendra Rajbhar, chief of the newly floated Suheldev Samman Swabhiman Party.
While SP spokesperson Ashutosh Verma said Akhilesh was receiving a lot of suggestions from the people, as well as social organisations, sources said the leadership had directed its workers to discuss the promises made by the party chief in programmes held across districts.
'He is making these logical, feasible and important promises with a long-term vision. More such promises are in the offing and all these will be included in the party's 2027 manifesto,' Verma said.
Rajbhars who claim affinity with King Suheldev and are categorised as OBC are estimated to make up 18% of the electorate in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Keeping this in mind, political parties have been courting the community over the years and have tried to claim the legacy of Raja Suheldev.
Stitching up a coalition of the disadvantaged groups such as OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis through increasing representation in power structures has been one of the key BJP strategies since Narendra Modi 's rise in national politics in 2014. This social coalition, along with ideological support from the BJP's core support base of upper castes, has helped it sweep heartland states, with its win in UP in 2017 being one of the major examples of the success of this strategy.
The BJP, for instance, has been invoking the king since 2016 and has projected him as a 'saviour of the Hindu religion' as Suheldev purportedly defeated Mahmud Ghazni's nephew. In a public meeting in the run-up to the 2017 Assembly polls, then BJP national president Amit Shah urged people to give the BJP a chance to 'restore Suheldev's glory', and months ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a postage stamp in the king's honour. At present, the BJP relies on its ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) to tap into the community's votes.
Breaking this successful social coalition of the BJP is one of the SP's major challenges, and that is why, in recent years, it has increasingly pivoted towards its PDA strategy, which stands for a focus on the 'Pichhda (Backward), Dalit, Alpsankhyak (Minorities)'. Akhilesh on Friday alleged that the Yogi Adityanath -led BJP government was ignoring the grievances of Dalits and OBCs and promised to restore the old pension scheme, abolish outsourcing in government jobs if voted to power, and grant agricultural crop status to betel leaf.
Recently, Akhilesh also sent a political signal to the OBCs and Dalits on the birth anniversary of former Congress MP Shivdayal Chaurasia, who belonged to a backward caste and was a vocal advocate for Dalit and OBC rights. He had worked with the likes of Dr B R Ambedkar and BSP founder Kanshi Ram. 'Once we come to power, we will honour Shivdayal ji by building his memorial on the Gomti riverfront,' he said on March 13. According to SP secretary Ram Lakhan Chaurasia, the community makes up around 5% of the state's population and are seen to rever the former MP.
To mark International Women's Day and considering how women were seen to have played a key role in influencing the electoral outcome in the Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, Akhilesh on March 8 promised to introduce the 'Stree Samman Samriddhi Yojana'. The party has also roped in popular television actress Ankita Lokhande to popularise the scheme among the masses. Apart from the direct benefit transfer for women, the scheme also promises mobile phones, laptops, and 'PDA pathshalas' for skill development.
The party has also set its sights on artistes, especially folk singers, who are seen to be a key part of the election campaign. At a meeting of the SP cultural cell in December last year, the party ensured them 'due honour' and promised to 'accommodate them in the government' if voted to power.