Chandra Shekhar Aazad, leader of the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) and a member of the Lok Sabha, is set to launch a statewide tour in Uttar Pradesh starting June 2. This move aims to establish him as a significant figure appealing to Dalit, minority, and backward class voters before the assembly elections next year. Party officials are finalizing details, with intentions to compete in all 403 seats.
The tour will begin in eastern Uttar Pradesh and cover the entire state, according to Saurabh Kishore, the party’s state vice-president.
The campaign will emphasize support from Dalits, Muslims, and extremely backward classes. Plans include nominating at least 100 candidates from extremely backward groups, allocating seats to minorities and backward classes based on population proportions. The party also intends to place 50 Dalit candidates in general constituencies, sending a message to the opposition INDIA alliance. Officials report that the party has established structures in every district and assembly segment, extending to local levels.
Aazad’s rising profile and expansion goals have caught the attention of the Samajwadi Party and Congress. Sources indicate some Samajwadi Party parliamentarians urged leader Akhilesh Yadav to engage with the Nagina representative, but the suggestion was dismissed.
The Samajwadi Party’s key strategy involves targeting backward classes, Dalits, and minorities. In the recent national elections, the Samajwadi Party-Congress partnership gained significantly from warnings about potential risks if the Bharatiya Janata Party retained power, securing 43 of 80 seats in the state. Leaders from both parties credit this approach for attracting Dalit support. However, the Aazad Samaj Party now risks splitting these votes.
Aazad dismissed worries about damaging the INDIA group as irrelevant, noting internal competitions among opposition parties in various states. He highlighted past attempts to unify opposition in Uttar Pradesh elections and expressed skepticism about vote transfers between allies. He pointed out the lack of by-election successes for Congress and Samajwadi Party since the national polls, emphasizing that alliances form out of necessity.
As the Bahujan Samaj Party under Mayawati loses ground—its vote share dropped from 22.23 percent in 2017 to 12.88 percent in 2022, mainly from its core Jatav-Ravidasi base—multiple parties, including Samajwadi Party, Congress, and Aazad Samaj Party, are vying for that support.
Both Samajwadi Party and Congress have been invoking figures like B.R. Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram to connect with Dalits, including events on Ambedkar’s birth anniversary. Aazad Samaj Party officials plan to challenge the opposition alliance directly, focusing exclusively on Dalit, Muslim, and extremely backward communities, avoiding upper-caste voters likely to support the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Congress leaders in the state recognize Aazad’s popularity and crowd-drawing ability, particularly among younger Dalits, noting the absence of strong Dalit leadership in major opposition parties.
Recent gatherings led by the Nagina parliamentarian in places like Barabanki have drawn substantial attendance. A Congress member suggested that Dalit votes shifted to the opposition in the national elections due to campaigns on constitutional concerns, but Aazad’s presence could redirect them.
While some in the Samajwadi Party advocate talks with Aazad, top leaders including Akhilesh Yadav oppose an alliance. Speculation about a pre-election partnership existed before the national polls but did not come to fruition. In those elections, Aazad
