Samajwadi Party Can’t Defeat BJP Alone In 2024 Lok Sabha Polls: Shafiqur Rahman Barq

NEW DELHI: Days after Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav claimed that his party will defeat BJP on all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls, party’s Sambhal MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq has said that his party can’t defeat the Narendra Modi-powered saffron party alone. Barq’s comments came days after Akhilesh Yadav, during his West Bengal visit on Sunday, claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party will be "defeated" on all 80 seats in the state of Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls. 

The Samajwadi Party has also recently begun to woo Dalits back to the party as part of its strategy to consolidate its vote bank ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections and, to do this, a committee has been constituted under the leadership of Ramjilal Suman and Awadhesh Prasad.

Referring to this, Barq said, "It is okay because in UP my party does not have an alliance with the BSP. Because of this, Ramji Suman has been appointed to bring back the Dalits to our side. If the Dalits switch their allegiance from the Mayawati-led BSP to the SP, it will benefit Akhilesh Yadav in the polls. Traditionally, Dalits are associated with Mayawati's party.”

Replying to another question on BJP coming back to power in UP again and repeating its previous show in the 2024 elections, Burq said, "Everything is possible. What you consider impossible is also possible. As far as the 2024 election is concerned, it will be BJP versus the entire opposition." 

On the question of SP defeating the BJP on its own, he said, "It is not so difficult. If the Samajwadi and all other parties work together, they all can defeat the BJP. However, the SP alone does not have that much power.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be "defeated" on all 80 seats in the state of Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He accused BJP of "not fulfilling" the promises that were made before the elections.

Addressing a press conference here in Kolkata, the SP chief said, "We will defeat BJP on all 80 seats in UP. They do make promises when they need votes. The cost of living and unemployment has increased. They (BJP) have not fulfilled any promise that they made before the elections".

Akhilesh also gave a piece of advice to Congress by saying, “BJP should be defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress and several other parties should finalise their role. Congress should decide its role regarding elections. CMs of many states are trying for a coalition that will work together.”

It may be noted that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are all taking efforts to stitch an alliance of like-minded parties to defeat the ruling BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Replying to questions on the formation of the Third Front, Yadav said the main question is the problems like unemployment and inflation being faced by the common man. "For 2024, you may call it the third front or an alliance, but this is not the question. The main issue is inflation. The youth are roaming around without jobs. The lives of the farmers have been destroyed. They (BJP) is showing dreams...but when will the youth get jobs?" he said.

The SP chief made these remarks after participating in the party’s two-day national executive meeting in Kolkata. During the meeting, the party discussed the policies and strategies for the elections in three Hindi states due later this year and the Lok Sabha polls next year.

Along with Akhilesh Yadav, party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, MP Jaya Bachchan, state unit chiefs from 20 states, and several other leaders also participated in the meeting. Notably, the Samajwadi Party`s national executive meeting was held in Kolkata after a gap of 11 years.