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Time of India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
RSS reshuffles over 60 dist pracharaks in UP
Lucknow: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has made major organisational changes, reshuffling more than 60 district pracharaks in Uttar Pradesh. The development marks Sangh's strategic recalibration even as the BJP gears up to intensify the spadework for the next year's panchayat elections and 2027 assembly polls. Sources said the changes were made recently to reinvigorate the organisational machinery while ensuring better and more efficient coordination at the ground level. District pracharaks are pivotal in mobilising cadres and aligning ideological outreach at the grassroots. RSS sources said the duty areas of at least 10 to 15 pracharaks have been changed in every prant. The Sangh recognises six prants – west UP (including Uttarakhand), Braj, Awadh, Goraksh, Kashi and Bundelkhand. A senior RSS functionary in Awadh Prant said the changes were part of a routine process which the Sangh undertakes to ramp up efficiency of its functionaries. This year, it is important in the wake of Sangh's centenary year celebrations. He, however, did not rule out the possibility of the exercise being linked to forthcoming electoral battles in Uttar Pradesh. "The ideological alignment of RSS and BJP happens ahead of any electoral contest," the RSS functionary said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like [속보]'한 달만에 5cm 성장!?' 2개월치 무료증정 압도적 키성장 1위! 아이클타임 더 알아보기 Undo Analysts said the RSS and BJP are trying to strengthen their presence in UP which contributes the highest number of Lok Sabha seats (80) and holds a central place in parties' electoral ambitions. RSS's organisational activity, sources said, has become significant in UP after 2024 LS elections, in which BJP faced a setback with its tally plummeting to 33 from 62 in 2019. Sources said that the Sangh sought to keep a close watch on BJP's poll activity and lend adequate support as and when needed. RSS's organisational network, experts said, could also help the BJP overcome electoral challenges posed by the Samajwadi Party and Congress. Analysts said Sangh's nationalist narrative may particularly arm the BJP to counter the opposition's caste card – primarily the Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) narrative, which is said to have dented the BJP in 2024. The RSS rejig also reflects on the performance evaluations and response to changing ground realities. Experts said that UP's political landscape is fluid, with growing caste-based and regional assertiveness of different political groups. Deploying pracharaks who understand these nuances may help the RSS regain lost ground or consolidate gains. Replacing older or underperforming functionaries with younger, more dynamic workers is consistent with RSS's organised efforts to modernise operations and connect with newer generations. It also prepares the cadre to be more tech-savvy and communication-efficient in an era of digital outreach.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Closing 10k primary schools BJP's ploy to deprive poor kids of edu: Akhilesh
1 2 Lucknow: Describing the state government's decision to shut over 10,000 primary schools a conspiracy of the BJP to deprive poor children of education, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said it was an irony that the government that spends billions of rupees on its publicity cannot spare a fraction of the amount to keep 10000 the primary schools operational. The move will have a direct impact on the education of girls from poor families, Akhilesh said. There was an urgent need to encourage the parents in poor families to send their daughters to school. Now, sending minor girls to primary schools situated several kilometres away from their villages will only come as a discouragement for the parents who don't have enough to spend on arranging transport for their children, Akhilesh said. "Poor people in general and those from the PDA – comprising Pichhde (Backward castes) Dalits and Alpsankhyak (Minorities) - will be worst affected by the BJP government's decision to shut 10, 000 primary schools. But perhaps the government wants the children from poor families to stay uneducated, so that they don't seek employment or question the wrong policies of the BJP government," the former UP CM said. "BJP is out to deprive the poor of the basic needs like livelihood, education of children and employment. These aspects have never been on the BJP's agenda. Children from poor families study at these primary schools. By shutting down over 10,000 such schools, the government will make education more inaccessible for the children coming from the vicinity of these schools which are being closed," Akhilesh said. The former UP CM said it was a pity that the BJP spends billions of rupees on publicity of government schemes but cannot spare a small fraction of it on the education of these poor children. The SP chief accused the BJP of drafting policies which will push the state backwards by spoiling its future. "BJP does not want to answer questions that people are asking. They want to keep the population, particularly children, illiterate. Once the SP government is formed, the entire education system of the state will be overhauled to improve the standard of education in all aspects, Akhilesh said. Senior SP functionary Prof Sudhir Panwar said merger of primary schools was against the very spirit of right to education and universalisation of primary education. "The BJP government seems determined to ensure that the entire education sector is eventually passed on into private hands. The government is systematically destroying the education sector by appointing incompetent officials in the regulatory bodies of the education sector," Panwar said.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
With its new UP president pick, BJP may counter SP's PDA pitch
Lucknow: The much-anticipated appointment of the new UP BJP chief may well be the saffron party's most vehement counter to the Samajwadi Party's Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) poll narrative. This narrative is said to have dented the ruling party by pulling down its tally from 62 to 33 in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in UP. Sources said that the caste of the new UP BJP president is expected to define the roadmap of the BJP's strategic push, even if symbolic, in the run-up to the panchayat polls due next year and subsequently the 2027 state elections. A senior BJP leader mentioned that the party is weighing all options to counter the opposition's PDA with its 'P-D' (Pichhda/OBC-Dalit) card, a move expected to be reflected in the party's choice for the new UP BJP president. The most prominent names from the OBC community include Union minister BL Verma, Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh, animal husbandry minister Dharampal Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Baburam Nishad, and MLC Ashok Kataria. Likewise, from the Scheduled Castes category, former MP Ram Shankar Katheria and MLC Vidyasagar Sonkar are in the race. Call it a coincidence, the UP BJP, in recent years, elected OBC state presidents just before state elections. It was Keshav Maurya before 2017 and Swatantra Dev Singh before 2022. The incumbent state president, Bhupendra Chaudhary, a Jat, was appointed by the party in 2022 after Swatantra Dev was inducted into the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. Chaudhary's tenure ended earlier this year. A senior BJP leader affirmed that the party sought to push a prominent OBC or Dalit leader who could steer the party's poll prospects and help in the consolidation of non-Yadav, non-Jatav vote banks. "The party leadership will take its time in appointing the most suitable candidate. Nevertheless, the organisation is being run at a smooth pace," said UP BJP spokesperson Hero Bajpai. Experts asserted that the appointment of the UP BJP president was not merely about filling a post. It was being positioned as a high-stakes move to reshape caste equations, reclaim the narrative, and reassert the BJP's relevance in a state where caste factors prominently in determining electoral destiny. The choice of a new state chief also represents a broader political recalibration in response to the party's 2024 Lok Sabha setbacks, particularly in the caste-sensitive terrain of UP. Analysts said that the Samajwadi Party's PDA formula successfully disrupted the BJP's dominance by forging a bottom-up caste coalition that resonated on the ground. "It is all about symbolism. The caste of the next BJP state president is expected to serve as a signal to key voter groups who are valued as key stakeholders in the BJP's power structure," an analyst said. He said that by installing a leader from the 'P-D' (Pichhda–Dalit) communities, the BJP may potentially seek to fracture the PDA axis around which the SP and allies seek to consolidate their position. A senior BJP leader said that the 2025 panchayat elections will serve as a testing ground for the BJP's new social engineering. The leadership pick will also influence the 2027 assembly election narrative, particularly if the BJP attempts a Pasmanda Muslim outreach alongside its P-D formula.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Etawah incident ploy to divide UP along caste lines: Akhilesh
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday launched a scathing attack on the BJP over the recent assault on a non-Brahmin katha vachak and his team in Etawah. He termed the incident part of a larger conspiracy to divide the state along caste lines. "The BJP is deploying its 'planted people' with strategic surnames from neighbouring states to carry out its infiltrative politics and disturb social harmony in the state. But the people of Uttar Pradesh are aware of the truth. Society here will not be divided by the actions of a few negative elements — it will emerge even stronger," he said. Questioning the BJP central leadership's 'lack of trust' in its UP unit, the former CM said: "Is there not even one BJP leader in UP whom those sitting in Delhi can trust? Is that why people from outside are being brought in to stage conspiracies and disrupt peace here?" Further aiming at the Yogi Adityanath govt, the former chief minister accused the BJP of opening the state's borders to "anarchic elements" who, he claimed, enter Uttar Pradesh, disturb peace, and leave unchallenged. Referring to the assault on the katha vachak and his team, including a visually impaired dholak player, Yadav said, "A handful of dominance-obsessed individuals didn't even spare the artist who 'sees the world through rhythm'. By snatching his dholak and levelling baseless accusations, such people have lost the sympathy of even their own community." He condemned the attackers as "inhuman and un-Indian", saying that those who truly revere India's cultural heritage are always compassionate and kind-hearted. Rallying support under the banner of PDA- his party's inclusive alliance for Pichhde (backward classes), Dalits and Alpsankhyak (minorities) - Yadav said the incident has united marginalised communities. "
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
To build on gains, SP homes in on 108 ‘weak seats' for UP polls, dispatches observers
With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections just over a year-and-a-half away, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has started its preparations by focusing on 108 Assembly seats that it has lost in the last three polls. The party has appointed observers for each of these constituencies, and they have been asked to submit their reports to party president Akhilesh Yadav. This is the first time the SP is conducting such an exercise. These seats, according to party insiders, are spread across the state, with some of the important ones being Allahabad West and Lucknow Cantonment in central UP; Babina and Charkhari in Bundelkhand; Bansi and Deoria in east UP; Gangoh and Noida in west UP; and Agra Cantonment and Etmadpur in the Braj region. Sources said observers had already paid at least a couple of visits to each of such Assembly constituencies in the past fortnight. They held separate meetings with the district presidents, district unit office bearers, prominent leaders in the constituencies, past candidates, and influential people from different castes and communities, insiders said. SP insiders said the party had appointed former MLAs as observers and that they were from outside the constituencies assigned to them to avoid any bias in their reports. The observers are broadly inquiring about groupism, internal conflict, and social equations, reasons that may have contributed to the losses in these seats. They are also checking the progress made in forming block and booth communities and the response to the party's 'PDA charcha' outreach to Other Backward Classes, Dalits, and minorities. PDA refers to the party's strategy of focusing on 'Pichhda (OBCs), Dalit, Alpsankhyak (minorities)' communities to expand and consolidate its base. 'The observer asked about the social equations and the caste and class composition of voters who were earlier with SP but shifted to the BJP. They also asked if internal conflicts had dented the party in previous elections,' said an SP leader in one of these 'weak constituencies'. 'The SP has devised a multi-pronged strategy for the 2027 assembly elections based on the Lok Sabha election experience. The party organisation has been revamped and transformed into a powerful cadre-based winning machine. The party expanded its social base through 'PDA' panchayats, collation of facts and stories from different constituencies to identify specific issues, and their redressal well before time,' said SP spokesperson Sudhir Panwar. The party has also sent observers to constituencies that its allies contested in previous elections. For instance, the party sent an observer to Shamli, where its former ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), led by Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary, won in 2022. In 2017, the Congress, in alliance with the SP, contested the seat but lost to the BJP. In 2012, the SP, which contested the election alone, lost the seat to the Congress. Among these 'weak seats' are two seats in Firozabad district and one in Badaun district, which are otherwise SP strongholds because of the dominance of Yadav and Muslim voters. The seats in Firozabad are Firozabad City and Tundla. The SP's Akshay Yadav is the Firozabad MP at present, and his victory has given the party hope that it can flip Firozabad City, where he had a lead of 16,000 votes in 2024. The party last won the seat in 2002. However, in the Tundla Assembly segment, Akshay Yadav trailed the BJP by almost 17,000 votes. SP district president Shivraj Singh Yadav said, 'The observer for Firozabad visited recently and held meetings to find out the reasons for defeat in past polls, consulted with party workers and senior leaders. The observer has submitted his report.' 'As the SP won maximum (37 seats) Lok Sabha seats in UP in 2024, the party is seeing a favourable atmosphere for the 2027 Assembly polls. Hence, it does not want to leave the scope for any mistake,' said a senior party leader.
