After days of speculation, the Samajwadi Party has announced that it will not field a third candidate for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections. Out of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats, expectations are that the BJP could win eight seats and the SP two. However, rumours were rife that the SP camp was doing everything possible to win a third seat.
But Yadav posted on social media platform X on Tuesday morning: “Now our focus is not on three, but on 403,” in reference to the Assembly elections. It has now become clear that both SP and all eight BJP candidates are sure to be elected unopposed.
However, many wonder why Akhilesh decided to opt out of the race after the initial bravado. The opposition camp mocked Yadav, calling his statement a ploy to avoid embarrassment and save face. This U-turn by Akhilesh is being seen as an attempt by opposition parties to avoid embarrassment and salvage some face.
Since the announcement of the election, the SP had been building a narrative that it would stake its claim to the third seat at any cost. Local media reports hinted that Yadav was eyeing BJP MLAs who are unlikely to get a ticket in the upcoming elections to vote for them. The SP camp also pinned its hope on Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party MLAs who voted for the party in the last Rajya Sabha elections.
However, though there is no official take on why the decision was reversed, the opposition claims that the SP camp was thrown into disarray as soon as the BJP released its strong list of eight candidates.
Political analysts say that SP faced another threat, which prompted Akhilesh to drop out of the race. In addition to losing the election, the SP also faced the risk of cross-voting among its own MLAs, which would have been self-defeating for the party ahead of the by-elections and the upcoming assembly elections.
The opposition also alleges that the SP was merely engaging in pressure politics, but when reality struck, it fled the battle.
