Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, which became the third largest party in the country in the Lok Sabha elections, has also entered the electoral fray in Jammu and Kashmir. However, since it is not a national party, it could not get its traditional election symbol, the bicycle, here.
The first phase of voting for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections concluded on Wednesday. Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, which became the third largest party in the country in the Lok Sabha elections, has also entered the electoral fray in Jammu and Kashmir. However, since it is not a national party, it could not get its traditional election symbol of bicycle here. In such a situation, the SP candidates have made laptop their election symbol. The candidates have faith in this laptop and the face of Akhilesh Yadav.
After the huge success in the Lok Sabha elections, the SP, which is engaged in the campaign to make itself a national party, will be seen in the fray on 20 assembly seats in the second and third phase of elections to be held on 25 September and 1 October. SP candidates have chosen laptop as the election symbol. A decade ago, when the Akhilesh-led SP government came to power in Uttar Pradesh, the laptop was in the headlines. Akhilesh Yadav had promised to give free laptops to the students. After coming to power, more than 27 lakh laptops were also distributed. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when the SP’s seats decreased from 22 to five, the scheme was stopped.
Most of the SP candidates contesting the elections in Jammu and Kashmir are using the pictures of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and SP patron late Mulayam Singh Yadav. The candidates are going door to door and explaining to the people that they are from the Samajwadi Party, but the party’s election symbol in Jammu and Kashmir elections is different. The Samajwadi Party feels that Akhilesh Yadav’s face is attracting people after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This is the reason why SP has emerged as the third largest party in the country.
Talking on the phone, SP panelist and Dr Aziz Khan, who is handling the election reins in Jammu and Kashmir, said that in the second phase we are contesting on five seats in Kashmir division. In the third phase we are contesting on 10 seats in Kashmir and five seats in Jammu division. He said that the election symbol is important but more important is the face of our party, Akhilesh Yadav. People in Jammu and Kashmir really like Akhilesh ji. People are keeping a close watch on the Samajwadi Party.
He said that people are inclined towards Samajwadi Party. We are trying to convey to the people that Samajwadi Party is contesting elections in Jammu and Kashmir on a different election symbol (laptop). The workers are engaged in making people aware. People are willing to vote in the name of Akhilesh Yadav. On social media too, the pictures of Akhilesh and Netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav are being used a lot by our candidates.
On the allotment of laptop as election symbol, Khan said that initially we wanted cycle which is the traditional symbol of Samajwadi Party, but unfortunately it was not allotted to us. Candidates were given a choice of three to four symbols. Most of them have chosen laptop as their election symbol.
Said that there was no alliance for Jammu and Kashmir elections, we are contesting independently. Even if you look in Haryana, AAP and Congress are contesting separately. Allies of India Alliance are contesting separately. Everyone has their own issues. Our alliance is at the state level. However, there is no conflict between us. We all want just one thing and that is to defeat the BJP. Apart from this, people are looking for winning candidates here in Jammu and Kashmir.
Aziz Khan said that we are planning to call National President Akhilesh Yadav for his program in the third phase. Things will be finalized soon. There is a possibility that Akhilesh ji will come here for the third phase.
According to Election Commission of India data, the Samajwadi Party had also contested the 2008 and 2014 Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. However, the SP failed to make a mark. In 2008, the SP contested 36 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir and got 24,194 votes. Which was 0.61% of the vote share. In 2014, the SP fielded candidates on seven seats and got 4985 votes with 0.10% vote share.
It is worth noting that there are 90 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir. There are 47 seats in Kashmir and 43 seats in Jammu division. Out of these, nine seats are reserved for scheduled tribes and seven seats are reserved for scheduled castes. After voting in three phases, the election results will be declared on October 8. According to the Election Commission, there are 87.09 lakh voters in Jammu and Kashmir. Out of these voters, 42.6 lakh are women. 3.71 lakh are first time voters. There are a total of 20.7 lakh voters in the age group of 20 to 29 years.
