E-Paper
Final phase of J&K polls today, Akhilesh gives campaign a miss
As Jammu and Kashmir's final election phase unfolds, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav skips campaigning, focusing on key issues like reservation and Agniveer.
As the polling for the third and final phase of Jammu and Kashmir elections takes place on Tuesday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has given the campaigning a miss despite aspirations of a national footprint for his party, which emerged as the third largest one after the 2024 parliamentary elections.
The SP, however, is banking on issues like reservation, caste-based census and Agniveer scheme. The Akhilesh Yadav led party is contesting 20 seats in Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections, including five seats in the Kashmir division in the second phase (held on September 25), 10 seats in the Kashmir division and five in the Jammu division in the third and final phase to be held on Tuesday (October 1). The first phase of polling was held on September 18. The votes will be counted on October 8.
As per SP sources, “Though the responsibility of 20 seats was given to the organisation, Akhilesh Yadav couldn’t go for campaigning in Jammu and Kashmir due to pre-decided meetings regarding bypolls on 10 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.”
The SP has sent a team of senior leaders, along with its frontal organisation members, to Jammu and Kashmir for the polls. The Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections are being held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
“Local people are appreciating the fact that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was the first to take a stand against the recruitment of Agniveers in the army,” said SP Shikshak Sabha vice president Marinder Misra who has been entrusted with the responsibility of the Udhampur seat.
“The Samajwadi Party has released a four-page booklet titled “Samajwadi Party’s Promises to the People of Jammu and Kashmir” in both Hindi and Urdu. The key points in this booklet include the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, demands for rights similar to those of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, 27% reservation for the OBC community, caste census, unemployment allowance, and the inclusion of the Baridar community in the Shrine Board for religious services at the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple. These issues reflect the ideologies of leaders like Netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav, BR Ambedkar, and Ram Manohar Lohia,” Mishra added.
He also said the SP chief’s assertive stance in Parliament, his straightforwardness, and sensitivity towards the public have sparked considerable discussion among the people of Kashmir.
As per the Election Commission of India data the Samajwadi Party had also contested the 2008 and 2014 Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, but had failed to leave any significant mark.
In 2008, the SP had contested 36 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir and had bagged 24,194 votes amounting to 0.61% of the vote share. In 2014, the SP had fielded candidates on 7 seats and had bagged 4985 votes amounting to 0.10% vote share, according to the ECI data. The SP, whose traditional election symbol is the cycle, is contesting Jammu and Kashmir elections on the laptop symbol.
“Since the 2024 election results, Akhilesh Yadav’s image has been accepted as a national leader. Laptop is a symbol of development which best suits Akhilesh Yadav ‘s image. Therefore, it is easier for people to identify with the symbol,” Mishra said.
Out of the 90 assembly seats for which polls are being held in Jammu and Kashmir, 47 are in the Kashmir and 43 in Jammu division. Out of these, nine seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and seven for Scheduled Castes (SCs). According to the Election Commission, there are 87.09 lakh voters in 90 constituencies, including 42.6 lakh women. There are 3.71 lakh first-time voters and 20.7 lakh voters in the age bracket of 20 to 29 years.
