Rift In INDI Alliance Deepens: Samajwadi Party Explores Strategic Partnership With Smaller OBC Parties For 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

In a desperate move to bolster support and expand its political influence, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav is currently actively seeking alliances with smaller parties in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and neighboring states such as Haryana and Rajasthan.

The initiative aims to strengthen the party's position ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections, reported Indian Express.

Drawing from the previous coalition strategy employed in the 2022 UP Assembly polls, where the SP formed an umbrella coalition with smaller parties like Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), Mahan Dal (MD), Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), and Janwadi Socialist Party, the SP won 111 seats out of 403, significantly increasing its vote share from 21.82 per cent in 2017 to 32 per cent.

The SP leader is reportedly also in talks with Hanuman Beniwal of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) in Rajasthan and is working towards developing a PDA (Pichde, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) alliance to broaden the party's electoral base.

Acknowledging the significance of like-minded parties joining forces, Surendra Singh Bhati, the SP's Haryana unit chief, expressed openness to alliances, highlighting the need to create new political paths through collaborative efforts.

As SP expands its alliance network, the party aims to consolidate support from different communities and regions, enhancing its electoral prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.