UP polls: SP plans to field non-Yadav OBC, Dalit candidates on seats lost by core voters

The Samajwadi Party (SP), the principal Opposition in Uttar Pradesh, is reshaping its candidate selection strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections, with internal discussions pointing to a shift away from fielding Yadav and Muslim candidates on seats where they have previously lost. Party strategists have identified at least 15 Assembly constituencies where Yadav candidates contested on SP tickets in the last polls but failed to win, despite a substantial Yadav electorate.

According to party leaders involved in the exercise, these seats have between 40,000 and 60,000 Yadav voters, yet the candidates lost due to what is described as anti-Yadav polarisation. The proposed alternative is to field candidates from non-Yadav Other Backward Classes (OBCs) or Dalit communities on such seats, in the hope of broader social support while retaining core Yadav votes.

One such example cited is the Etah Assembly seat, where SP candidate Jugendra Singh Yadav lost to the BJP in both 2017 and 2022 by margins exceeding 17,000 votes. In the 2022 polls, he polled 80,292 votes but still trailed by 17,247 votes. A party leader explained, “We failed to get sizeable votes from other social groups. If we give a ticket to a Lodh, we may win if Yadavs vote for us in large numbers.”

Similarly, in the Mainpuri Assembly seat, SP candidate Raju Yadav lost to the BJP by over 6,000 votes in the 2022 Assembly polls, a result that surprised party ranks. “Who expected the SP to lose the Mainpuri Assembly seat? If we had given a ticket outside the community, we would have won by over 15,000 votes,” another leader remarked.

The party is also examining seats where Muslim candidates have contested and lost. On such seats, the SP is reaching out to respected Yadav community elders to build consensus for ceding space to candidates from other backgrounds. Leaders are pitching this as a “do-or-die battle” for the party, urging community members to make sacrifices for a shot at the Chief Minister’s chair.

Party troubleshooters point to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as evidence of the potential success of this approach. The SP fielded only five Yadav candidates in the general election, and all five won. Candidates from Kurmi, Pasi, and other social groups also emerged victorious with support from Yadavs and other communities, they noted.

There are also indications that the SP may field Scheduled Caste (SC) or Dalit candidates on General-category seats in several districts. The party cites the example of the Faizabad (Ayodhya) Lok Sabha seat in 2024, where a Dalit candidate won on a General seat, as a model to replicate.

The strategy is still at the ideation level, sources said, and no final decision has been taken. With Uttar Pradesh containing 75 districts and 403 Assembly segments, the party is engaged in seat-by-seat analysis. The move reflects a broader attempt to broaden its social coalition beyond its traditional Yadav-Muslim base, though the party is also working to manage potential resentment within its core supporter groups.