The opposition INDIA group led by the Congress and Samajwadi Party is leading on 43 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, dealing a serious blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-dominated National Democratic Alliance, which holds the most seats in the Lower House of Parliament. Currently, the BJP can only hold 33 seats in the Lok Sabha, down from their victory of 62 seats from the state in the 2019 election.
The INDIA bloc’s impressive success is attributed in large part to the leadership of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and senior Congressman Rahul Gandhi. Prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the youthful leaders banded together and organised large-scale demonstrations around the state.
How Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav changed INDIA bloc’s game in UP?
- Accurate electoral math: Avoiding the overestimation of its position, Congress rightly agreed with the Samajwadi Party when the latter offered it 17 seats out of 80. Both parties fought on their strongholds, which helped consolidate anti-BJP votes.
- Right message to ground workers: In the previous elections, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav’s bigger challenge was communicating the importance of the alliance to ground workers, who were seen fighting against each other. This time, the duo made sure that the local party workers understood the alliance, worked together, and ensured that the INDIA candidate won.
- Massive rallies: Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav conducted massive rallies in almost all seats of Uttar Pradesh, and the magnitude of their support was visible in the huge number of people who turned to listen to the young leaders.
- Picking right issues: Rahul Gandhi’s unstoppable emphasis on caste census and attack on schemes like Agniveer were some of the sensitive topics that changed the game of the BJP. Congress and SP combined local issues with national issues to capitalize on the anti-incumbency factor.
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