Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi Secure Victory in Uttar Pradesh Elections

In Uttar Pradesh, the alliance of SP leader Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has achieved significant success. They won 43 out of 80 India Block seats in the state. However, this same partnership failed in the 2017 UP assembly elections.

In this Lok Sabha election, the Samajwadi Party (SP) kept 63 seats for itself and left 17 seats for the Congress. Out of these, SP won 37 seats with a good strike rate. The Congress also captured more than one-third of the seats.

In the 2017 UP assembly elections, SP and Congress formed an alliance. Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi were promoted as young leaders. The Congress even hired election strategist Prashant Kishor, who organised 'Khat Sabhas' for the party. Despite this, the alliance failed.

The Samajwadi Party contested 311 out of 403 seats in the UP assembly and won only 47 seats. Out of the 114 seats left for Congress, they won only seven. In 29 seats, even their deposits were forfeited. The Samajwadi Party also lost its bail in 25 seats.

On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, as trends from UP started coming in, the hashtag 'Two boys of UP' began trending on social media. Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan also commented on this on X.

Political experts believe there are five main reasons for their success this time. First, both leaders fully supported each other in the election campaign. They held 15 joint meetings in favour of their candidates and worked with full enthusiasm.

Second, they played the reservation and caste card effectively. They convinced voters that if the Modi government formed again, it would change the constitution. They also used the caste census to their advantage. Akhilesh's backward, Dalit and Minority (PDA) card worked well.

Third, their promise of government jobs and depositing one lakh rupees in women's accounts also helped. Many Muslim women reached the Congress office in Lucknow to encash money with guarantee cards distributed during the campaign.

Fourth, both leaders did not let personal ego affect their campaign. Akhilesh kept his promise and sought votes for Congress candidate Tanuj Punia in Barabanki.

Fifth, they successfully won the trust of Muslim voters. SP gave tickets to four Muslim candidates and Congress to two. All four SP candidates and one Congress candidate won.

The shift of Muslim voters towards India Block is evident from BSP supremo Mayawati's letter stating her party will now give tickets to Muslims only after careful consideration.

In 2017, SP's first family had internal conflicts. Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Yadav separated from SP and formed his own party. He accused himself and party founder Mulayam Singh of being humiliated within SP.

Akhilesh had not fully emerged from his father's shadow then. By the 2022 assembly elections, he ran his political party independently and resolved family disputes. He gained experience fighting against BJP.

The combined result is that Akhilesh has now established himself as a well-prepared politician.