Sanjay Saxena, Lucknow
In the politics of Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has been known for decades as the party with a strong base of the Muslim-Yadav alliance. It was said that the M-Y, i.e., Muslim-Yadav equation, was the key to SP’s victory. During Mulayam Singh Yadav’s era, this alliance appeared extremely strong. But over time, changes in this balance are clearly visible. Today, both inside and outside the SP, discussions are intensifying in the Muslim community that the place of Muslims in the party has now been limited to just voters, not in the leadership. A perception is rapidly forming in the Muslim society that the true character of the Samajwadi Party is this: ‘Yadav will eat the cream, ‘Azam’ will go to jail’. This sentiment is being repeated in conversations among Muslim voters in many places, especially since the party left a major Muslim leader like Azam Khan alone in difficult times. Azam Khan, whose name was once synonymous with the SP’s think tank and the Muslim face, now he and his family are entangled in legal troubles, while neither Akhilesh Yadav nor anyone from the Yadav family has openly adopted a strong political stance in his support. Ramzan Alam, a resident of Rampur and an old supporter of Azam Khan, says, Akhilesh ji only wants votes from us, not our voice. When Azam Sahab was in jail, no Yadav leader even came to advocate for him. Just Yadavs eat the cream, that’s the SP’s formula. Similarly, Shakeelur Rahman, principal of a madrasa in Moradabad, said, Now Muslims should not become things to be used. It is necessary to distance ourselves from a party that does not listen to us, does not give us leadership.
Political analysts believe that Akhilesh Yadav’s politics has currently shrunk to being centered on Yadavs. From the SP’s organizational structure to the legislative council, assembly, and party spokespersons, the dominance of Yadav faces is clearly visible everywhere. This is causing dissatisfaction in the Muslim society to grow continuously. There was a time when leaders like Muhammad Azam Khan, Nasimuddin Siddiqui, Kaiser Jahan, or Iqbal Mahmood were involved in the party’s strategic decisions; today, no influential Muslim leader is seen at that level. A political analyst from Lucknow, Faizul Hasan, said, Akhilesh’s concern is not with Muslim voters, but with their votes. He knows that out of fear of the BJP, Muslims will somehow vote in his favor. But now this strategy will not work because the new Muslim voter wants representation, not fear.
In fact, in Bihar’s last assembly elections, Muslim voters had already given this signal. There, the Muslim vote bank had started distancing itself from Tejashwi Yadav’s party RJD and tried to support Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. Owaisi’s party got good votes in some areas of Seemanchal, which was a signal that the Muslim society now wants politics of voice, not blind support. On the same lines, in UP too, this thinking is now sprouting within Muslims that “My vote, your right won’t work.” Meaning, now SP will not automatically get Muslim support; it will have to earn trust through effort. Nadeem Ansari, a young voter from Sambhal, says, We will no longer be just a part of the strategy to defeat BJP. Whoever gives us participation will be our leader. By abandoning Azam Khan, Akhilesh ji has shown that Yadav politics in power is the real priority.
On the other hand, some leaders associated with SP believe that Muslims are still being given full respect in the party. SP’s former MLA Anees Khan says, In the party, Muslims and Yadavs are equal partners. Some people are deliberately spreading confusion in society. However, on the ground reality, there are many Muslim areas where this dissatisfaction is openly visible. It is noteworthy that in the last few years, Akhilesh Yadav has tried to present himself as a secular leader in contrast to the BJP’s Hindutva politics. But despite ideological confrontation with the BJP, he has not given space to Muslim representation at the level that was expected. In the 2022 elections, looking at the list of many candidates, this question had arisen within the Muslim community: why did SP field so few Muslim candidates? This is the reason that the image of the party’s religious-social balance is now starting to weaken. In the political scenario, it is also being seen that in western UP and Purvanchal, Muslim voters are inclining towards small parties and new faces. Be it the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) or AIMIM, these parties have spread the message among Muslims that support has no meaning without a share in power.
A prominent Muslim intellectual from Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Zahid Hussain, says, During Mulayam Singh’s era, Muslims considered SP like family because they felt their security and honor were safe in this party. But in Akhilesh’s era, that trust has started to crack. If a leader like Azam Khan can be neglected in the party, then who will listen to the expectations of an ordinary Muslim? Overall, in UP’s politics, the Muslim society has now decisively started thinking that their vote is not a permanent right of any one party. This is the same mental change that was seen earlier in Bihar. The Muslim society is now demanding leadership, participation of youth, and real representation. The politics of showing fear of BJP is now losing its effect. The message coming from the Muslim society at this time is direct and clear: not just votes, but respect and leadership are needed. And as long as this sentiment persists, parties like the Samajwadi Party will have to introspect.
(The author is a senior journalist and can be reached at [email protected]; 9454105568)
