Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is fiercely fighting the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, knowing that he has got nothing to lose—with the personalities of both, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and prime minister Narendra Modi, being put to test.
There are takeaways for Yadav from these elections as he has been successful in exposing and highlighting the glaring gaps in the policy and programme achievements of the Yogi government.
These achievements were blatantly branded and broadcasted, through advertisements and endorsements, catching the eyeballs of investors. Surely, it wasn’t to capture the restless electorate disappointed with the crumbling law and order situation in the state.
The Yogi government is severely testing the patience and perseverance of the common and ordinary people, who might not have complained had Yogi’s tenure been free from appeals to one’s religious passions.
These persuasions were responsible for bringing forth hardline Hindutva sentiments—blurring and distorting class and caste divides.
A concern on which Akhilesh Yadav has deeply stressed upon is the state of Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) healthcare and education system, which have been largely unattended with nobody readily accepting these massive responsibilities.
Covid-19 took such a toll on the people that there were bodies found floating in the Ganges. Apart from this, Yadav also raised questions regarding how many people in the state got employment from the inauguration of flyovers and four lanes.
Does the chief minister have any answers and an explanation to put forth, rather than declaring others credentials. Akhilesh Yadav has been befittingly replying to his detractors all this while taking up yatras (tours) that may see him stopping at not less than forming the next government in UP.
I believe he should draw a blueprint by allying with the Rashtriya Lok Dal, tje Congress and other smaller parties, to give a tough fight to the incumbent government, on seats in central and eastern regions of UP—where a comeback may not look that positive, with the Bhartiya Janta Party throwing itself in the ring, staring at a third term for Yogi in 2021 and Modi in 2024.
Well, politics is an art of possibilities and prospects, where appearances look more deceiving than they appear, leaving space for second guesses.