In politics, necessity is the mother of reinvention. And so it is with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the make-or-break Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Gone are the days when the party was seen as unfriendly to technology and rooted in the caste and religion formulations of a bygone feudal era.
Now is the time of party state president Akhilesh Yadav, the Australia-educated son of the Samajwadi supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akhilesh, the clearly anointed successor, has to come of age in the state’s messy electoral battleground, and he sees a new age avatar of his father’s party as the way to grab the future without jettisoning the past. It’s not been too difficult for the younger Yadav, who mixes up easily and spontaneously with the present generation and is itching to break the mould.
Lucknow, the state capital, is where Akhilesh has chosen to display his modern outlook. The SP has fielded two young and educated candidates in two of Lucknow’s Assembly constituencies as it tries to change the perception of the party from its “party of goons” image to that of an organisation infused with educated youngbloods more capable of change.
Meet Juhie Singh, daughter of retired chief secretary A P Singh. Juhie, contesting from the Lucknow East Assembly constituency, is a young entrepreneur who has a thriving business in floriculture. Born and brought up in Lucknow, Juhie’s educational credentials are impressive: she holds an M.Sc degree in public policy and management from the University of London. Coming from an elite family, Juhie may not be a socialist by birth but she has certainly become the face of the changing Samajwadi Party under Akhilesh Yadav.
Mulayam’s affinity for Juhie’s father is well-known; he had elevated A P Singh, then the senior-most IAS officer in the state, to the post of chief secretary during his tenure as Uttar Pradesh chief minister. But that hasn’t translated into a cakewalk for Juhie, who worked hard for over a year to qualify for one of the prestigious Assembly segments of the Uttar Pradesh capital. “For me, social service is like habit and hobby both. The floriculture business that spread from Uttar Pradesh to Uttarakhand has given birth to many self-help groups of women and provided me an opportunity for their empowerment. Today I am confident that hundreds of women have benefitted from my project,” says Juhie.
Why did she join the Samajwadi Party? “Because this is the political party which does not discriminate between the haves and the have-nots, the so-called upper castes and the lower castes, and the ideology of this party only can ensure a society based on equality.” When asked about the public perception of the Samajwadi Party as a “sanctuary of criminals and tainted persons”, Juhie has her rejoinder ready: “Doesn’t Akhilesh Yadav symbolise the changing dynamics of the party which is now youthful, modern, forward-looking and rational?”
Juhie is not alone. The other ace Akhilesh has pulled out of his modern sleeve is Abhishek Mishra, the SP candidate from Lucknow North. Abhishek is the son of senior IAS officer Jaishankar Mishra who is posted in Delhi with the Central Government. Like A P Singh, Jaishankar too had a good relationship with Mulayam Singh when he was the chief minister in his last regime.
Abhishek’s profile does not match the general impression about the Samajwadi Party. Abhishek is a PhD from University of Cambridge, and has served as a consultant to the Union ministries of home affairs and defence. He has also taught at IIM-Ahmedabad. “Serving people and educating them has been my passion,” maintains Abhishek, who has not only perfected the English language, but also the local parlance when he mingles with the people from rural areas who throng his residence since morning. To a query whether he has been taught to live in a political party, Abhishek says, “The SP is the only party which does not discriminate among people on the basis of their caste, creed or religion”. He adds: “Akhileshji is the face of transition within the party and outside”.
Juhie and Abhishek are the two edges of the new Samajwadi sword. Akhilesh has forged this weapon and is determined to wield it. When mafia don-turned-politicians like D P Yadav, Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahmad were jostling to get a party ticket, Akhilesh instead chose the likes of Juhies and Abhisheks. They may not be big names in their constituencies, but certainly are the harbingers of big change in the party.
Speaking to The Sunday Standard, Juhie admitted that “background of her family and of her father is proving to be of immense help. Thousands of people, including the peons, drivers and other lower-rung employees who had been helped by my father in one way or the other—and I had been a child before them—are vowing to vote for me. Whether I win or lose, I am indebted to them and would keep helping them as an individual throughout my life, for the kind of affection they have showered upon me because of my father.”
Abhishek is “troubled to see that most parts of Lucknow lack basic civic amenities” and his “first aim, if elected, would be to ensure world-class facilities to the citizens”. Was his father who had held the post of principal secretary, urban development, not responsible in some way for the poor condition of Lucknow? “You are forgetting that the government was of the BJP and this party has its MP for over a decade,” Abhishek replies.
Interestingly, when this correspondent followed them in their campaign, none of the two was critical of their political opponent, a trick mastered by most young politicians these days. Both of them only stressed the idea of development and ensuring better education, healthcare and civic amenities. The young leaders refuse to subscribe to the impression of the majority of the people that the Samajwadi Party is on friendly terms with criminals and tainted elements.
Hardboiled critics aren’t impressed though. A faction of the SP recently pushed for controversial MLA D P Yadav’s induction into the party which was, however, quickly shot down by Mulayam Singh. He sacked Mohan Singh as the party’s national spokesman after he gave a statement in favour of D P Yadav’s induction into the party. Akhilesh said that D P Yadav and those with dubious record would not be taken in the party.
It’s a heavy cross that Juhie and Abhishek bear. The only silver lining in a possible defeat is that they may not have to bear it any more.