The Samajwadi Party (SP) has initiated preparations for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections scheduled for early 2027, following the template used for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party leadership has held crucial deliberations with organisational office bearers to shortlist candidates for 150 seats across approximately 35 districts.
Shortlisting Process Underway
The second phase of district-level meetings is set to resume shortly, with the entire candidate shortlisting exercise expected to conclude by the first week of July. While the process largely mirrors that of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, party strategists have introduced a new segment for 'fence sitters' to accommodate turncoats from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), and other parties.
Fence Sitters to Be Assessed
Organisational office bearers at the district level, who have informed the party leadership about feelers from fence sitters, have been tasked with shortlisting such individuals and evaluating their individual winnability. A notable example is SBSP's Mau MLA Abbas Ansari, whose office in Mau has already displayed SP banners. The list also includes some SP members who did not toe the party line in the recent past and now have strained relations with the party.
SP functionaries, however, remain silent on how the leadership is handling the 'traditional Congress seats' in terms of candidate shortlisting.
Sure Shot Seats Identified
Sources indicate that the party has already shortlisted candidates for 'sure shot' SP seats—those won in consecutive elections as well as those not won in recent polls. In about 24 districts, organisational office bearers have been assigned specific tasks to aid the shortlisting process.
SP functionaries involved in the shortlisting said that some organisational office bearers aspiring to contest the assembly polls have resigned from their posts after party president Akhilesh Yadav announced that such aspirants must relinquish their party positions before their candidature can be considered.
Resignations and Controversies
Munindra Shukla, SP president of Kanpur Nagar (Rural), confirmed he has resigned from his post as he seeks a ticket from Bithoor—a seat SP has won since the 2012 assembly polls. Reports also suggest that two other office bearers have expressed their desire to contest and are likely to submit their resignations soon.
However, Banda district president Madhusudhan Kushwaha dismissed reports of his resignation, calling it a forgery. 'Some people forged a letterhead and issued a fake resignation letter more than a month ago. I lodged a police complaint against this,' he told the Times of India. Similarly, a party functionary in Aligarh appointed 'officiating' office bearers to explore his chances of getting a party ticket. Since this move violated party norms, he was asked to revoke all such appointments.
