Motorcycle symbol to liquor ban: Akhilesh's strategy for UP polls

The 'motorcycle' could signify a modern Samajwadi Party under Akhilesh Yadav's leadership

In mid-October, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar offered his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Akhilesh Yadav, who is over 20-years his junior, a talisman: implement prohibition in Uttar Pradesh, just as he had in Bihar, and win the UP Assembly polls.

Akhilesh is currently in the midst of a family feud with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav. The two sides have also approached the Election Commission (EC) to lay claim to the party’s ‘bicycle’ symbol. If the EC freezes the ‘bicycle’ symbol, the Akhilesh camp could look at other symbols, particularly ‘motorcycle’ to signify a modern Samajwadi Party under his leadership.

Akhilesh has also found support from the other socialist groups in the country, including from Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. In October, with the family feud having already hit headlines, Nitish Kumar was one of the first leader of note to extend his support to Akhilesh. There were also whispers that election strategist Prashant Kishor might assist the Akhilesh camp.

It was then interpreted as Nitish Kumar fishing in troubled waters. There is little love lost between Nitish Kumar and Mulayam after the Samajwadi Party (SP) had fielded 135 candidates in the Bihar Assembly polls in 2015, instead of supporting the Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance. The Janata Dal (United) leaders had then said that the SP fielded its candidates to cut the votes of the RJD-JDU-Congress alliance at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Since October, in a couple of public rallies and also elsewhere, Kumar has talked of his support to Akhilesh in the family feud. He had said that Akhilesh is the youth face of politics and will not need anybody’s support if he dares to introduce prohibition in UP.

Nitish had won a sizeable women vote after he had promised prohibition in Bihar if he were to win the elections. His government imposed prohibition in April, 2016. Nitish had advised Akhilesh to do something drastic to win the polls. He also said that Mulayam Singh and his party have been cursed by someone for ditching the RJD-JDU alliance.

Nitish has held over a dozen public rallies in UP in recent months, and could tie up with Akhilesh’s breakaway party. Nitish has influence in UP’s Kurmi OBC voters, which comprise nearly 5-6 per cent of the UP electorate.