The Samajwadi Party on Friday unveiled a roster of 20 “star campaigners” to bolster its support for the Mahagathbandhan in the forthcoming Bihar assembly elections, but the list drew more attention for the notable absences than the inclusions. At the forefront are party president Akhilesh Yadav and veteran leader Azam Khan, who returns to centre-stage after his release from custody. The omissions of senior figures Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav — both uncles of Akhilesh and key party veterans — have sparked speculation about internal realignment and the consolidation of leadership under Akhilesh’s authority.
Party insiders confirm that the list includes other high-profile names such as Dimple Yadav, Kiranmay Nanda, Afzal Ansari, Awadhesh Prasad, Naresh Uttam Patel, Lalji Verma, Babu Singh Kushwaha, Om Prakash Singh, Priya Saroj, Ikra Hasan, Chotelal Kharwar and Tej Pratap Singh Yadav among others.
With fewer than three weeks to polling on 6 and 11 November in Bihar, the SP’s move places it firmly within the campaign machinery of the Mahagathbandhan rather than contesting on its own. The party is not fielding its own candidates in Bihar but will mobilise support for alliance partners.
The inclusion of Azam Khan, a ten-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh who was released from jail in a controversial land-encroachment case, is viewed as a strategic bid to galvanise minority and Muslim voters in Bihar. Political analysts note that his active participation signals the SP’s intent to deepen its footprint beyond Uttar Pradesh and exert influence in key seats across Bihar.
By contrast, the exclusion of Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav — both long-standing figures in the SP’s leadership — has raised questions about factional shifts within the party. One senior SP insider observed that “the message is unmistakable: Akhilesh wants to show that the Samajwadi Party is now entirely his — free from internal factions and family interference.” The move may reflect a recalibration of intra-party power as the SP positions itself for a broader national profile rather than its traditional Uttar-Pradesh centric base.
The campaigners’ list also exhibits a deliberate caste and community balancing act. Dalit, OBC and minority leaders are present, suggesting the SP is aligning its outreach to mirror the Mahagathbandhan’s voter coalition strategy in Bihar, where social arithmetic is critical. Observers highlight that such outreach serves two functions: reinforcing the SP’s role within the alliance and laying groundwork for its longer-term ambitions in Bihar’s politics.
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