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Eyeing national party status, Samajwadi Party ready to take plunge in Assam assembly polls
The SP state leadership from Assam recently met Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav at the party headquarters in Lucknow to discuss the upcoming elections, according to people aware of the matter.
In its push to move beyond its Uttar Pradesh-centric identity and gain national party status, the Samajwadi Party is ready to take the plunge in the Assam assembly polls.
The SP state leadership from Assam recently met Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav at the party headquarters in Lucknow to discuss the upcoming elections, according to people aware of the matter.
Looking to expand its presence in the Northeast, the SP’s Assam outreach is seen as a long-term bet on building grassroots networks in non-traditional territories.
The party is likely to field candidates in minority dominated areas and once candidates are announced, Akhilesh Yadav may also campaign for them, those privy to the issue said. The SP contested the 2011 and 2016 Assam assembly polls but failed to win a single seat.
Yadav has repeatedly stressed the need to take the party’s ideology beyond the Hindi heartland to connect with diverse communities across India.
While the SP remains strong in Uttar Pradesh where it is preparing for the 2027 assembly polls, it maintains a limited presence elsewhere with two MLAs in Maharashtra and one in Gujarat.
Samajwadi Party chief spokesperson and former minister Rajendra Chaudhary said, “I can’t comment on whether our party will field candidates in the Assam elections or not, Akhileshji will decide this.”
“A political party needs 6% of votes in four states to achieve national party status. The Aam Aadmi Party became a national party with 6% of the vote in four states. We have such a huge voter base and are the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha, yet we are not a national party yet. Our party organisation is present in several states and we are continuously working towards realising Akhileshji’s dream to make the SP a national party,” added Rajendra Chaudhary.
Founded in 1992 by Akhilesh’s father, the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, the SP made its most noticeable bid for national status in 2004 when it fielded 237 candidates in the Lok Sabha polls. The party won 36 seats then: 35 in Uttar Pradesh and one in Uttarakhand. By contrast, in 2019, it fielded only 49 candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the SP bagged 37 seats, all from UP, making it the third largest party in the Lok Sabha.
According to the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, a political party can be recognised as a national party if it satisfies any of the following three conditions: If the party wins at least 2% of seats in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) from at least three different states in a general election; if the party secures at least 6% of the total valid votes polled in any four or more states, at a general election to the Lok Sabha or to the Legislative Assembly; if the party is recognised as a state party in at least four states.
