Lucknow: Samajwadi Party, which won the most seats in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, is now eyeing expansion in other states. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has started intensifying this campaign. Akhilesh will launch Mission Maharashtra on October 18. He will attend a public program in Muslim-dominated Malegaon. Akhilesh will also be a part of a political event in Dhule on 19th. The SP unit of Maharashtra has started preparations for the program. SP has two MLAs in Maharashtra. Abu Azmi from Shivaji Nagar and Raees Sheikh from Bhiwandi East had won the election on SP ticket. At present, SP has increased its preparations and expectations for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra. Recently, Azmi had also tried to show his strength by organizing a felicitation ceremony for UP MPs.
Eye on more than a dozen seats
SP is claiming to have vote bank on about 30 seats in Maharashtra and its strong preparation. The party’s effort is to use this pretext to put pressure on the opposition alliance and get at least 10-12 seats. SP’s best performance in Maharashtra was in 2009, when it won 4 seats, but in 2014 its tally dropped to one. Two MLAs had won in 2019.
This time the victory in UP has expanded both the possibilities and expectations of SP. The party feels that the base can be increased in UP by focusing on the votes of Muslims, Dalits and Purvanchal. The SP President can try to explore these possibilities through a tour.
Owaisi’s land also on target
Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM has deep penetration in Malegaon and Dhule areas where Akhilesh’s programs are being organised. In the 2019 assembly elections, AIMIM surprised everyone by winning Malegaon Central and Dhule City assembly seats. The results also had the message that voters in the Muslim dominated areas of Maharashtra are exploring the possibilities of alternative leadership. SP is also pinning its hopes on this possibility.
Samajwadi Party has got minority votes unilaterally in UP. Even in Maharashtra, it has influence among Muslims in some seats. Therefore, similar areas have been selected for Akhilesh’s events also. However, in 2019, the SP candidate got only 800 votes in Dhule City.
Eye on multiple targets from one tour
SP chief’s visit to Maharashtra was scheduled a month ago, but in the changed political situation, Akhilesh is eyeing to achieve many goals through this one visit. In Maharashtra, the party wants a fair participation in the alliance. The path is not easy due to the presence of many parties in it. But, the results of Haryana have shocked Congress and given Akhilesh a chance to strengthen his claim.
Akhilesh is putting pressure on other allies including NCP by making land in Muslim dominated areas like Malegaon, Dhule etc. At the same time, Owaisi’s political ground will also be challenged. In this respect, the visit of the SP chief is being considered special in the current political circumstances.