The Samajwadi Party is redrawing its strategy to expand the party's base beyond its Muslim-Yadav core constituencies and win over Dalits and Other Backward Castes (OBCs) to counter the BJP in the upcoming urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav is working with Azad Samaj Party chief Chandrasekhar, who is said to hold influence among Dalits in west Uttar Pradesh, in this bid to consolidate the new vote bank.
This repositioning has been in the works for a while now. The SP conducted a campaign in the state to demand a caste census. In December, Akhilesh Yadav said the SP will conduct a caste census within three months if it is voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier this month, he unveiled a statue of Dalit leader Kanshi Ram and attended an event to commemorate the birth anniversary of social reformer Bhim Rao Ambedkar in Madhya Pradesh's Mhow.
The SP is also counting on its increased heft in the wake of Shivpal Singh Yadav returning to the party fold.
The SP did not fare well in the 2017 urban body polls and could not open its account in any of the 16 mayoral seats. While 14 of these seats were won by the BJP, two went to the BSP.
Shivpal Yadav exuded confidence that the SP will win the urban local body polls this time.
"Responsibilities have already been given to senior party leaders in their respective areas. We will certainly win the urban local body polls," the SP national general secretary said.
"We (Akhilesh and Shivpal) will campaign together as per the plan formulated by the party," he added.
The SP has been persistently demanding a caste census.
"Ours is the only party that worked on the ground to demand a caste census. Our campaign was very successful. It will certainly prove helpful for the party candidates in this election," said Rajpal Kashyap, state head of the SP's backward wing.
The recent killing of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj might also help consolidate Muslim votes against the BJP and benefit the SP.
"Certainly, the manner in which the two were killed raises suspicion. There was apprehension that they might be killed but the government did not do anything.
"We don't do politics of religion but Muslims of the state were with the SP and will remain with us," a senior party leader said.
Political analyst Siddharth Kalhans said of the 213 SP candidates who were in the fray in the 2017 urban local body polls, only 18 could save their deposits.
This time, however, the SP has fielded good candidates keeping all factors, including local demographics, in mind, he said.
"It's not about winning every time. Increasing the vote share and gauging the mood of the people ahead of the crucial 2024 general elections will also be the aim of the SP. Even if it doesn't do well (in the urban local body polls), it can redraw its strategy on the basis of its learnings from this election," he added.
According to State Election Commission data, SP candidates lost their deposits on 10 of the 16 mayoral seats in the 2017 polls, while Congress and BSP candidates lost deposits on 11 seats each.
Every candidate deposits a fixed amount at the time of filing nominations. The deposit is forfeited if the candidate fails to secure one-sixth of the total valid votes.
Of the total 652 seats, the BJP won 184.
Asked about the SP's Dalit-OBC outreach, BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla said, "People see (a party's) track record. When the SP was in power in the state, it did nothing for Dalits and OBCs. In fact, the maximum cases of atrocities against Dalits were witnessed during the SP's tenure between 2012-2017." "The SP was never in the race in the urban body polls. People of the state will vote for the BJP due to its track record and will not be fooled by the SP's political gimmicks," he added.
The urban body polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in two phases -- on May 4 and 11. The counting of votes will be taken up on May 13.
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