UP Election: Samajwadi Party not relying only on PDA votes, Akhilesh Yadav's strategy undergoes a major change

The election whistle is still far from over in the grand contest for power, but political parties have already entered the fray. The cycle has already begun moving forward on the track of promises, aiming for victory.

Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is accelerating his strategy by pedaling promises one by one. Not only are major segments like youth, women, farmers, teachers, and working professionals in focus, but also small and large castes are being wooed with promises like recognition and respect for great men.

The Cycle's Promises Will Continue to Accelerate

With various manifesto-like promises, cities are being placed directly at the center of the agenda. These districts are initially focused on areas where the cycle has never progressed rapidly. As time passes, the cycle's promises will also accelerate.

The SP, which suffered defeats in the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections, is dreaming of achieving a similar result in 2027 as it did in 2012.

It also aims to challenge the BJP's strategy.

In the last Lok Sabha elections, the narrative of a threat to constitutional reservations and the slogan of the Backward, Dalit, and Minority (PDA) gave the SP an edge. At that time, the SP also addressed caste-related issues in the selection of candidates and office bearers.

To further this strategy for the upcoming assembly elections, the party has launched a series of promises. This also aims to challenge the BJP's beneficiary strategy. The SP launched the scheme on March 8th with the announcement of the Stree Samman-Samriddhi Yojana.

In states like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, the women's vote was crucial in previous elections, and the SP wants to capitalize on this now.

Promises related to caste are also being made. The installation of statues of Maharaja Suheldev, Nishadraj, Lord Vishwakarma, and Maharana Pratap on the Gomti River Front, and the promise of providing new boats to boatmen, are part of this effort.

SP wooing smaller parties.

The proposal to build a memorial for former MP Shivdayal Chaurasia is also an attempt to further the politics of symbols. In the past, the BJP has garnered support from Nishad, Rajbhar, and Kurmi communities through collaboration with smaller parties. The SP is also trying to counter this.

At the same time, a new strategy has been put forward, offering separate manifestos for cities like Agra, Mathura, Noida, and Ghaziabad. The party believes this could give it an edge in the respective districts. It is also attempting to take the lead on every issue.

Not only is there a promise to end outsourcing and provide permanent jobs and full reservation, but issues like the fertilizer crisis and school closures are also being raised, all under the banner of the PDA. As the elections approach, the party organization will try to arouse aspirations among the public by publicizing these promises.

However, amidst the abundance of promises, the biggest challenge before SP will be to gain public confidence on these announcements, because the opposition will definitely raise questions like non-fulfillment of these promises, SP being unreliable, and budget-resources.