SP weighs Dimple’s projection as UP polls shape up as fight for survival.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) might spring a surprise regarding its Chief Ministerial face in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections, as the polls are being viewed as a battle for the party’s very survival. To safeguard this existence, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav could make a bold strategic move by projecting his wife, Dimple Yadav, as the face of the campaign. For the first time in her 25-year political career, Dimple Yadav is seen playing on the front foot for the party. A distinct facet of her personality emerged, particularly during the monsoon session; she actively participated in the ‘Gen Z’ movement and was seen standing in solidarity with students staging a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar. Even after the session concluded, she continues to champion issues concerning women and the youth in state politics. Observers believe that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath currently faces no significant challenge. The principal opposition party, SP, has become entangled in the politics of caste dynamics involving ‘upper’ and ‘backward’ classes. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi—a leader of its ally, the Congress—is preoccupied with a different political agenda, one that does not sit well with the SP. Consequently, doubts are being raised about whether the Congress-SP alliance will hold until the elections. In this scenario, the real challenge lies before the SP itself. Akhilesh Yadav is well aware that if the party fails to replicate its Lok Sabha performance in the Assembly elections, saving the party will become an uphill task. It would mark the party’s third consecutive defeat in the Assembly elections; such a loss would shatter the morale of its leaders and could trigger a mass exodus from the party—a phenomenon witnessed with the TMC in West Bengal. Retaining leaders and MPs after a crushing defeat would prove difficult. The situation would become even more precarious if the BJP succeeds in passing the delimitation bill, as the ball would then be entirely in the BJP’s court. The youth-led movements have not really impacted the popularity of PM Modi and CM Yogi. In any case, the Gen Z movement has fragmented into various factions. While Rahul Gandhi is striving to establish himself as the leader of Gen Z, the actual Gen Z demographic is exploring possibilities on its own terms. PM Modi himself is reaching out to Gen Z, and Union Ministers are also active; the BJP, in collaboration with the Sangh, has deployed its entire cadre. No other party possesses an organizational structure comparable to that of the BJP and the Sangh. Within the Congress, Rahul Gandhi stands virtually alone as the face of the organization, seemingly content with his small, unsuccessful team. The Congress is unlikely to see any improvement in its standing in Uttar Pradesh. However, the contest would become intriguing if the Samajwadi Party were to project Dimple Yadav as its face, given that she hails from Uttarakhand—CM Yogi’s home state—and, like him, belongs to the Rajput community. The distinction lies in their regional origins: Yogi hails from Garhwal, whereas Dimple’s parents are from the Udham Singh Nagar district of Kumaon. Although Dimple was born in Maharashtra and has never lived in Uttarakhand, Yogi completed his education up to the undergraduate level in Garhwal. If Dimple becomes the face of the campaign, the Samajwadi Party would attempt to challenge the BJP by wooing women and upper-caste voters. Meanwhile, Akhilesh is constantly experimenting with strategies to win over Brahmin, Backward Class, Dalit, and Muslim communities. Yet, there is little indication so far that the SP can successfully compete on the pitch of Yogi’s Hindutva ideology. There were multiple reasons for the BJP’s Lok Sabha defeat; while the narrative that reservation would be abolished was one factor, internal party politics also caused damage. Having learned from the Lok Sabha setback, the BJP has overhauled its strategy, making Hindutva a central agenda—a move that has already secured major victories in Bihar and Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, Yogi is currently spearheading the Hindutva narrative on his own, while the central leadership finalizes its broader strategy. Once pending decisions in Delhi are resolved, PM Modi will shift his focus to the states, with the ultimate goal of winning elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur. Akhilesh Yadav also knows that countering the BJP’s aggressive strategy is no easy task. Bringing Dimple to the forefront might help generate some momentum, as the political atmosphere hasn’t really picked up yet. Consequently, the politics in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab are set to become interesting in the coming days.
