Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav
All is not going well for the Indian Union since the Maharashtra elections. On December 6, divisions within the opposition alliance came to the fore after MLCs of the Shiv Sena (UBT) posted in support of the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The SP has announced its separation from Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi. Not only this, Samajwadi Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav also opened a front against the Congress. Post-Maharashtra, relations between Congress and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh appear to be deteriorating, hence the question being raised: Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh Will the political chemistry between the boys break down?
The Samajwadi Party in Maharashtra has announced its withdrawal from the Mahavikas Aghadi alliance. Although the SP high command maintained silence, Maharashtra President Abu Asim Azmi announced the decision only with the approval of the top leadership. Azmi said it would be disrespectful for Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Milind Narvekar, who is a member of the Union of India, to congratulate those involved in the demolition of Babri Masjid religious feelings, then there is no point in being a member of that alliance. So, we have to take a decision and the Congress and the NCP take their own decision. Reacting to Azmi’s allegations, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray called the SP the B-team of the Maharashtra BJP.
In fact, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the SP became part of the Congress-led Alliance of India. Along with the BJP, the Samajwadi Party also contested the Madhya Pradesh elections along with the Congress party. Except West Bengal, the SP supports the Indian Union in all other states in the country. In Maharashtra, the SP supports the Congress-led Alliance of India. The friendship between SP and Congress has created a stir in UP. There is excellent political chemistry between Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav. As a result, the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance succeeded in winning 43 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. The SP won 37 seats and the Congress won 6 seats.
Relations between SP and Congress begin to sour
After the Lok Sabha elections, relations between the Socialist Party and the Congress began to deteriorate. In Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, the Samajwadi Party cannot get seats in the Indian Union, while in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the Samajwadi Party has to field candidates separately from the Indian Union. In this case, the SP also did not give seats in the UP by-election as per the wishes of the Congress. Therefore, the Congress withdrew the step of contesting the by-elections. The relationship between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party came to the fore after the Maharashtra election results were announced.
Samajwadi Party national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav has raised questions over the Congress’ performance in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Ram Gopal says Narendra Modi would not have become Prime Minister in 2024 if Congress had performed well. He said the Congress party did not perform well anywhere, be it Lok Sabha or Assembly elections. The Congress lost four seats in Himachal Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections. Although the Congress was in power in Karnataka, it lost more than half of its seats. The Congress party performed poorly in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Even in Sambhar, the two have different stances.
There was also resentment between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party during the UP by-election process. Now on the Sambhar issue, the SP does not like the political stance of the Congress at all. SP questioned Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi’s efforts to calm down. Sambal issue will not be raised by Congress in Parliament, says Sambal general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi ) is proceeding with caution. Not only this, the Congress also distanced itself from the Adani issue raised in Parliament.
In Maharashtra, Samajwadi party angry at Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) for emphasizing ‘Hindu issues’, but Ram Gopal Yadav’s approach to Congress performance was questioned. In this context, one thing is clear: things are not going well between the SP and Congress these days. An important reason behind this is that the political base of the Congress and the Socialist Party is based on the same vote bank. After the Congress won 6 seats in 2024, the morale of party leaders is high. The Congress’s strategy is to win over Muslim and Dalit votes, so political conflicts with the Socialist Party are also evident.
Rahul’s Sambhal tour adds to SP’s uneasiness
Rahul Gandhi has been paying special attention to UP since he was elected as MP from Rae Bareli in 2024. While Rahul Gandhi traveled to Aligarh to meet the families of Hathras accident victims, he also traveled to Rai Bareilly district to seek justice for the murdered Dalit families. In this series, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi devise a strategy to convey a political message by traveling to Sambhar to meet the families of the victims. This is seen as Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to win the trust of Muslims by healing their wounds. In this situation, the political unease in the Sambhar increased due to Rahul Priyanka Gandhi’s visit to Sambhar.
Why are the differences between the Socialists and Congress growing?
Muslim voters in Uttar Pradesh were once the traditional constituencies of the Congress. After the Ram Mandir movement, Muslim votes left the Congress. Muslim voters also joined the Socialist Party after 1992. As a result, the Congress fell from power and has not yet been able to make a comeback. At the same time, the Congress’s base increases every time Muslim votes shift to the Congress. Muslim votes played a significant role in increasing the number of seats in Congress in 2009 and now in 2024.
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are trying to retain this vote bank. The Congress has long been searching for its lost political ground in Uttar Pradesh. The 2024 Lok Sabha election results have given hope to the Congress. In this situation, the Congress is trying to be self-reliant instead of relying on the SP crutch of UP. To this end, Congress is currently focusing on 150 seats where Muslims play a significant role. SP understands this plan of Congress very well. In this scenario, the political rift between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party started to intensify, raising questions like: Will Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav be seen together in Uttar Pradesh in 2027?
