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Time of India
3 days ago
- 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.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
What Akhilesh Yadav's new base of operations in Azamgarh reveals about SP plans
A new residence-cum-office that Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated in his party's stronghold Azamgarh last week appears to be part of the Samajwadi Party (SP) president's larger repositioning with the 2027 Assembly elections in mind. On Thursday, the SP chief inaugurated the house that has been named the PDA Bhavan after the party's strategy of reaching out to the 'Pichhda (OBCs), Dalits, and Alpsankhayk (minorities)' in an attempt to expand its electoral base and be more than just a Muslim-Yadav party. With this, Akhilesh has also signalled his interest in maintaining a personal base of operations in Azamgarh, where the party won all 10 Assembly seats in 2022. The district's two Lok Sabha constituencies, Azamgarh and Lalganj, have also historically voted for the SP, which currently holds both of them. Beyond the symbolism, the new building will also smoothen operations for the SP in Azamgarh, where earlier the party operated out of a single room and did not have adequate space to host senior leaders. The importance of Azamgarh goes beyond just the district. It is part of eastern UP (Purvanchal), where the BJP took a hit in the 2022 Assembly elections and the SP made a gain of 39 seats, jumping from 16 in 2017 to 55, and the BJP's tally reduced from 114 in 2017 to 86. These are the gains Akhilesh wants to hold on to as he prepares for the 2027 battle. 'This development shows that Akhilesh is going to make Azamgarh a centre of party activities in eastern UP,' said an SP leader. 'He will frequently visit here, travel to adjoining areas, and hold meetings personally.' SP district president Hawaldar Yadav said Azamgarh had 'only a few hotels, but they lack the adequate arrangements and facilities'. 'Due to these issues, Akhilesh ji used to avoid night stay in Azamgarh. Last time he had an overnight stay here in 2019 after he was elected MP from here,' said the SP leader. And for the party, the goal remains clear: make Akhilesh the Chief Minister in 2027. For that to happen, Azamgarh and the larger Purvanchal region have to deliver for the party. During the inauguration, Akhilesh also signalled broader aspirations, with Azamgarh at the centre. 'Patna and Lucknow are almost the same distance from Azamgarh,' he said, hinting that the party wants to play an active role in helping the RJD in the Bihar Assembly elections later this year. SP gets going The all-important test for the party will be the Assembly elections two years down the line, and it has gradually started making moves to get into shape for the battle with the BJP. In July, it launched a year-long drive to reach out to Pasmanda Muslims and consolidate its core Muslim-Yadav base. The party plans to hold meetings with Pasmandas in all 403 Assembly constituencies, followed by district-level conventions, and finally, a state-level public meeting will be organised when the Assembly elections approach. The party has also devised a strategy to focus on 108 Assembly seats that it has lost in the last three Assembly elections. It has appointed observers for each of these constituencies, and they have been asked to submit their reports to Akhilesh within a set timeframe. Sources said the observers had already made at least a couple of visits to each of these seats in the past fortnight and held meetings with the district office-bearers and prominent leaders there. The SP is also calibrating its policies and strategies for various social groups. Akhilesh has promised that if voted to power his administration will install a statue of Raja Suheldev on the Gomti riverfront in Lucknow. This is a signal to the Rajbhar community, which is estimated to make up 18% of the electorate in eastern UP. The party has also promised to build a memorial dedicated to former Congress MP Shivdayal Chaurasia, who was a staunch social justice advocate and worked for the uplift of Dalits and OBCs. The SP is also fine-tuning its strategy to reach out to women, the driving force behind the victors in recent state elections, promising direct money transfers into their bank accounts, along with free mobile phones, laptops, and skill development programmes.
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.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP to launch caste census campaign
Lucknow: The proposed caste enumeration exercise scheduled alongside the national Census in 2027 is set to become the centrepiece of an elaborate ground-level campaign which the BJP plans to undertake in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh. The initiative, sources said, will aim to bolster the party's support among the Other Backward Classes (OBC) ahead of the 2027 state assembly elections. Party leaders were directed to initiate dialogues with various OBC communities to inform them about the anticipated benefits of caste-based enumeration. These include the collection of data to enable targeted welfare programmes, identification of disparities in resource distribution and improved policymaking on affirmative action. Experts say the data will also provide deeper insight into the state's social structure and help promote inclusivity and equality. UP backward class welfare minister and state party chief of OBC Morcha, Narendra Kashyap, told TOI that the campaign, which will be carried out for at least a year, would reach out to all OBC sub-castes which have otherwise remained deprived of privileges, including reservation benefits. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "The party will hold chaupals and workshops to reach out to the OBC communities," Kashyap said. The use of chaupals and workshops, analysts said, potentially suggests a bottom-up approach, with the BJP's bid to build narratives not just from above but by directly engaging with marginalised – but electorally significant – OBC communities at the grassroots level. The caste census has been a major demand of several opposition parties, essentially the Samajwadi Party and Congress. In fact, the SP's Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) campaign — centred on caste census and social justice — is widely said to have dented the BJP while reducing its tally in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Experts said that by initiating its own campaign, the BJP aims to reposition itself on the issue to avoid ceding any political ground in the run-up to the panchayat elections due next year and subsequently the 2027 UP polls. The party also aims to reconnect with OBC communities, many of which have traditionally aligned with regional players like the SP and the Mayawati-led BSP. Experts suggest that the BJP will seek to steer the caste census narrative toward development and national integration. This includes showcasing its existing welfare schemes for backward castes and linking the census with its broader governance agenda. BJP, as a matter of fact, has also been wheeling out a sharp OBC narrative by invoking historical figures from the backward class communities – most recently, Maharaja Suhaildev and Ahilyabai Holkar. Meanwhile, the opposition is also pulling up socks to make deeper inroads among the OBC communities. After making an effective presence as an ally of the Samajwadi Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party plans to go the extra mile in wooing the OBC. Congress plans to hold 'Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan' in every district from June 14 to July 15.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
UP BJP org rejig: Dalits, OBCs likely to weigh in prominently
1 2 Lucknow: OBC and Dalit communities are expected to weigh in prominently as the BJP gears up to reboot its organisational machinery at the ground level by inducting around 90,000 functionaries in over 1,500 out of 1,918 mandals (divisions). Sources said the party plans to recalibrate 80% of the mandals — a local organisational unit within the party's hierarchical structure — even as the party draws up a broader blueprint of a strategy to counter opposition in the run-up to the 2027 UP assembly polls. A mandal is a key operational layer in the BJP's grassroots machinery, enabling it to maintain a strong local presence. It is one level below a district and usually corresponds to a group of a few municipal wards or several village panchayats, mainly a sub-division within a district for efficient grassroots-level political and organisational functioning. According to BJP sources, the party will appoint over 60 functionaries in each of the over 1,500 mandals where the party has already appointed a president. A similar exercise will be undertaken in the remaining over 400 mandals after the appointment of presidents. The new team is expected to have a sizable presence of OBC, Dalit and women functionaries, a move that could align with BJP's focus on strengthening its grassroots presence and bolstering its social coalition, which catapulted the party to an overwhelming majority in UP in the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections. The induction of OBC and Dalit functionaries at the grassroots, experts said, could allow the BJP to counter the opposition's Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) card, which dented the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by shrinking its tally from 62 to 33 in UP. A senior BJP functionary said the induction of a good number of women functionaries at the mandal level is also on the cards. Speculations are rife that women may comprise around 33% of the total functionaries at the mandal level. Is that happens then it would be a strategic move by the party, which has been prioritising gender inclusivity by ensuring significant representation of women functionaries in the new appointments. The party also plans to engage the upper caste leadership strategically at the grassroots level as part of its broader organisational revamp. While OBCs and Dalits form the numerical majority and a critical voter bloc, upper castes (like Brahmins, Thakurs, Baniya, and Kayasthas) have traditionally been a core support base for the BJP. The party aims to retain their influence while expanding its appeal to marginalised groups. In March this year, the party had named 70 new district presidents, of whom 39 were from the upper caste, 25 were OBCs and six Scheduled Caste.
