The competition in the by-election for 9 seats in Uttar Pradesh is extremely intense. The outcomes of the Lok Sabha elections indicate that significant parts of the Muslim community favor the Samajwadi Party and the India alliance. Akhilesh Yadav hopes to ensure this backing continues in the upcoming by-election. Conversely, the BJP’s emphasis is on consolidating Hindu voters.
On Sunday, ex-Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav conducted an election rally in the Muslim-majority Kundarki assembly constituency, and shortly afterward, he visited the home of Azam Khan, a seasoned SP leader and prominent Muslim figure in Uttar Pradesh politics, to meet his family. In this, he promised Khan’s family that if the Samajwadi Party regains power in UP during the 2027 assembly elections, all cases filed against Azam Khan and his family will be dismissed.
Akhilesh stated that Azam Khan and his family have been falsely accused in cases. At his election rally in Kundarki, Akhilesh Yadav criticized the slogan ‘Bantenge to Katenge’ from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and stated that the PDA, which includes backward, Dalit, and minority groups, will always support him. He charged the Yogi Adityanath administration with aiming at major institutions such as Aligarh Muslim University and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur. It should be noted that Azam Khan founded Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.
Muslim votes hold significant importance in the political landscape of Uttar Pradesh. Thus, among the 9 seats undergoing by-elections, three have a significant presence of Muslim voters: Mirapur in Muzaffarnagar district, Sitamau in Kanpur, and Kundarki seat in Moradabad district. Mirapur has 40% Muslim voters, Sisamau has 45%, and Kundarki has 65%. In addition to this, SP aims to secure the backing of Muslim voters in the other constituencies.
A couple of days back, Chandrashekhar Azad, the MP representing Nagina and leader of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram), visited Azam Khan’s son Abdullah Azam in prison. This indicates that Azam Khan continues to hold significant political influence among Muslim voters.
Azam Khan was a reliable associate of Samajwadi Party’s founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, but in recent years he has spent a significant time in jail, indicating that he is becoming marginalized within the Samajwadi Party too. Nonetheless, Akhilesh Yadav understands Azam Khan’s political influence, so he visited Azam Khan in Sitapur jail during the Lok Sabha elections, and similarly, during the by-election, he has met with Azam Khan’s family.
SP is concerned that in this by-election, BSP, AIMIM, and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) may complicate matters for them by gaining support from Muslim voters; if this occurs, it will lead to a division of Muslim votes, which could negatively impact SP. Akhilesh has prepared himself for this.
Undoubtedly, SP aims to prevent the division of Muslim votes in the by-election; therefore, Akhilesh Yadav, recognizing the circumstances, contacted Azam Khan’s family. One beneficial aspect for SP in the by-election is that Congress is not participating, which means the votes Congress would have received are likely to be attributed to SP.
Akhilesh Yadav’s spouse and MP Dimple Yadav has likewise issued a statement supporting the Muslim community. Dimple disagreed with the idea of preventing non-Hindus from establishing shops at the Maha Kumbh fair. Dimple Yadav stated that such remarks damage the Ganga-Jamuni culture of the nation and those individuals do not wish for the country to function in line with the Constitution. It should be remembered that the leaders of the Akhada Parishad stated that non-Hindus ought not to be permitted to establish shops in the Maha Kumbh fair vicinity.
The outcome of the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh favored the All India Alliance, with the SP also attaining significant success. Following this, the SP aims to sustain its advantage in the by-elections, while the BJP has sought to adopt a more aggressive Hindutva stance after a disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has intensified the political discourse in the nation with the slogan ‘Bantenge to Katenge,’ which is echoing not just in Uttar Pradesh, but also in other election states like Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
This slogan of Yogi Adityanath has received backing from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP is making every effort to guarantee that there is no split in Hindu votes, not just in the by-elections of Uttar Pradesh but also in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. In the context of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is determined to prevent any split in Hindu votes, which is why, building on Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath’s slogan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced the slogan Ek Hai To Safe Hai. In this by-election, the primary goal is to prevent the splitting of Hindu and Muslim votes.
To secure victory in the by-election, the BJP has mobilized its entire government, organizational structure, front organizations, and all its officials, aiming to erase the mark of defeat from the Lok Sabha elections. This battle will escalate in the next few days, and it is yet to be determined if Akhilesh Yadav can maintain the backing of the Muslim community.
Polling for these 9 seats in Uttar Pradesh will take place on November 20, and the election outcomes will be announced on November 23.