I believe that for a Samajwadi Party under Akhilesh Yadav to stake claim to power in next years assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, it would be important to win the trust of allies like Om Prakash Rajbhar, Chandrashekhar Azad, etc. Together they will attract representation of important sections of the social stratum—minorities, women, scheduled castes and lesser amongst OBCs—could swing the tide in anybody’s favour.
They need a common minimum programme that acts like a policy document promising equality and dignity to their claims and counterclaims, if at all it was to happen, rather than hobnobbing for ranks and files, thoroughly exposing them with the anti-incumbency, picking up against the Yogi Adityanath government.
An alternative can then not be an exception, with the electorate sharply responding and reacting to the everyday political churning becoming the mirror with the opposition trying their luck hard to persuade and convince the public opinion, which in practice appears to be tiring and tricky with the strategy in place and picture.
No doubt Akhilesh Yadav is still the popular leader amongst the people, but clinging to power will depend on winning the confidence and trust of the people, ratcheting rhetoric or propaganda won’t play second fiddle.