Akhilesh Yadav became the star of the show in Uttar Pradesh as his party outdid the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This was his first general election after the death of Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Akhilesh did not disappoint.
As the trends started coming in, the SP led on 38 seats versus the BJP's 31 seats. In the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has emerged as the regional satrap that has stolen the thunder of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a strong comeback from the 2019 drubbing, the regional satrap is currently leading on 38 seats at present. In 2019, the Samajwadi Party won only 5 seats in the country's largest state. The BJP, on the other hand, is leading on only 31 seats in the state against its mammoth target of 70. The BJP, in 2019, had won 62 seats on its own.
Among the top leads scored by the Samajwadi Party are in Kannauj, Kairana, Sambhal, Mainpuri, Moradabad, Mohanlalganj, and Ghazipur. In the Ghazipur Lok Sabha constituency, Samajwadi Party leader and gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's brother Afzal Ansari is leading.
Despite the Ram Temple being a big talking point, the SP was also ahead of the BJP in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency, which also comprises Ayodhya. In the high profile Kannauj seat, Yadav drummed up support for his wife Dimple Yadav and three cousins, all of whom are in the electoral fray.
Early on in his campaign, Akhilesh prompted the BJP to recalibrate its narrative when he responded to the saffron party's nepotism attack, saying those with no family had no right to question others.
The Samajwadi Party's strong performance also indicates a strong support from the Muslim population in the state. Ahead of elections, he also improved relations with his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, who helped the party reach out to its traditional voters, most of whom are from the Yadav caste.
Breaking away from its former partner Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not impede the Samajwadi Party's prospects, which called the BSP a "B-term" of the BJP.
(With agency inputs)