SP looking to consolidate Dalit-OBC vote bank to take on BJP in UP urban local body polls

The Samajwadi Party is redrawing its strategy to expand the party’s base beyond its Muslim-Yadav core constituencies and win over Dalits and Other Backward Castes (OBCs) to counter the BJP in the upcoming urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav is working with Azad Samaj Party chief Chandrasekhar, who is said to hold influence among Dalits in west Uttar Pradesh, in this bid to consolidate the new vote bank.

This repositioning has been in the works for a while now. The SP conducted a campaign in the state to demand a caste census. In December, Akhilesh Yadav said the SP will conduct a caste census within three months if it is voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.