SP gets battle-ready, deploys senior leaders for campaigning

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP) has ramped up its preparations for the upcoming Assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, giving responsibility to senior leaders to manage the campaigns and adopting a cautious approach in selecting candidates.

“With the election command handed over to party veterans, including national general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav, the SP is aiming to strengthen its position in the crucial polls,” a senior party leader said.

The party signalled its readiness as early as August, when it appointed Shivpal and other key leaders as in-charges for six seats. So far, the SP has announced candidates for these six seats, while it continues to negotiate alliances and finalise its strategy for the remaining four seats. Sources indicate that the SP is in discussions with the Congress for an alliance on certain seats, potentially allowing the Congress to contest from the Ghaziabad Sadar seat. Talks are also reportedly underway regarding a possible arrangement for the Khair seat in Aligarh district. This alliance approach is seen as a strategic move by the SP to maximise its influence in the by-elections.

The by-elections were necessitated for 10 assembly seats in UP, of which nine are now set for polling. Among these, SP had won five seats in the 2022 elections, including Karhal, Katehari, Kundarki, and Sisamau, while the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) had won the Meerapur seat in alliance with SP. Its leadership has placed special emphasis on retaining them, deploying experienced leaders to spearhead the campaign.