India’s Samajwadi party makes a historic comeback

Samajwadi Party Leads Opposition's Victory in Uttar Pradesh

In a significant turn of events, the Samajwadi Party (SP), spearheading the opposition INDIA bloc, has made remarkable gains in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. As of 9:30 PM, the SP had won 29 seats and was leading in eight more, marking a historic haul of 37 seats—its best-ever performance in a Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha election. The party's previous best was 36 seats in 2004 under the Congress-led UPA.

Key Wins and Notable Leaders

Akhilesh Yadav, the SP chief, is poised to claim victory in his family stronghold of Kannauj, leading by 1.7 lakh votes over BJP's Subrat Pathak. Additionally, his wife, Dimple Yadav, secured a win in Mainpuri. This marks a significant achievement for the SP, which had only secured five seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

BJP's Performance and Setbacks

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, secured 28 seats and was leading in five others. The Apne Dal (Sonelal), a BJP ally, won one seat, and the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) also secured one. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi won from Varanasi, while Karan Bhushan Singh, the son of the sex assault accused Brij Bhushan Singh, won from Kaiserganj.

In stark contrast to its 2019 performance, where the BJP clinched 62 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh and its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) won two, the current results reflect a significant reduction in their stronghold.

Congress Resurgence

The Congress party also made surprising gains, winning six seats, including the high-profile constituencies of Amethi and Raebareli. In Amethi, Kishori Lal defeated BJP's Smriti Irani by nearly 1.7 lakh votes. Rahul Gandhi reclaimed Raebareli, surpassing the previous winning margin of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, with a lead of 3.9 lakh votes over the BJP's Dinesh Singh.

Analyzing the Shift

The SP's resurgence can be traced back to the 2022 Assembly elections, where they emerged as the closest rival to the BJP by winning 111 seats out of 417. This was a substantial increase from their previous tally and was largely driven by the farmers' protests against the BJP's policies.

The current Lok Sabha election results have been a stark contrast to most exit polls, which had predicted a dominant performance by the BJP and its allies, estimating them to win up to 68 seats. The opposition INDIA bloc was expected to secure only 12 seats, with some polls predicting as few as six.

Future Implications

This election marks a significant victory for the SP and the broader INDIA bloc, which was formed last year to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP. The bloc's performance in Uttar Pradesh, which sends the most MPs to the Lok Sabha, could signal a major shift in Indian politics.

The SP fielded 63 candidates as part of the INDIA bloc, with the Congress fielding 17. This seat-sharing arrangement was a landmark agreement within the bloc and demonstrated a united front against the BJP.

The electoral dynamics in Uttar Pradesh, often considered a bellwether for national politics, suggest that the opposition's strategy and grassroots support have begun to pay dividends. As the full results come in, the political landscape of India could be poised for significant changes.