Lucknow: As the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections draw closer, the Samajwadi Party (SP) is tweaking its political strategy with a new visual identity. The party has decided on a new dress code for its student wing, the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, with blue set to become a prominent colour.
Under the new dress code, members of the student wing will wear blue T-shirts with red caps. Until now, the organisation had no formal dress code, although its members were often seen wearing red Gandhi-style caps.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav was recently seen wearing a blue scarf instead of the party’s traditional red and green at a meeting of district and city presidents.
Party functionaries see the move as part of a broader attempt to expand the party’s appeal among Dalit youth. Dalits are an important component of the party’s PDA—Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak (backward classes, Dalits and minorities)—strategy.
The choice of T-shirts and red caps, instead of the traditional kurta-pyjama and Gandhi caps, is also being seen as an attempt to connect with Gen Z. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has attracted considerable attention in recent years for wearing T-shirts in public appearances.
The change in Akhilesh’s colour choices is, therefore, being viewed as more than an organisational decision. It is being interpreted as an effort to improve the SP’s acceptability among Dalit youth and expand its presence among students in colleges and universities.
Blue carries particular political significance in Uttar Pradesh. It has long been associated with Dalit politics and the ideology of Dr B.R. Ambedkar. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has historically represented Dalit politics in the state, has prominently used blue in its flags and political imagery. The SP, by contrast, has traditionally been identified with red and green.
Akhilesh said the colour blue represents the Constitution.
“Blue is the colour of the Constitution, freedom and democracy. It has been associated with the Bahujan community and Babasaheb. It is the colour of an ideology. The new generation has a new way of thinking. So we have chosen a new colour,” he told media persons.
However, the change will be limited to the student wing. The uniforms and visual identity of the SP’s other organisational wings will remain unchanged.
Akhilesh also spoke about student union elections and said that if the SP came to power, it would constitute a committee to examine the future of student politics. He said universities in Cambridge, Oxford and the European Union would be approached for possible tie-ups and exchanges.
The SP’s PDA formula, he said, stood for “Positive, Democratic and Affirmative action”.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, Akhilesh alleged that BJP people are afraid of colours but not of God. “They have stolen donations from Prabhu Ram’s temple and have now looted the Ram Van Gaman Path. The BJP is running a negative campaign,” he said.
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From red and green, to blue and red
A senior SP leader said red and green had been the party’s official colours since its formation on 4 October, 1992. However, the party was now looking to expand its visual symbolism.
“Blue is a powerful symbol of Dalit assertion. The SP has formulated a strategy to increase its reach among young people and Dalits ahead of next year’s Assembly elections,” the leader said.
The change has been particularly evident within the party’s student wing.
The Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha is preparing to adopt a more contemporary look, with members expected to wear blue T-shirts and jeans, or shirts and trousers in similar shades.
The move is being positioned within the party as an attempt to create a distinct identity for its student activists and connect with Gen Z.
Party strategists believe the decision to introduce blue is also aimed at making the student wing more appealing to Gen Z, which forms a large part of its membership.
This is not the first time the SP has experimented with blue. On 31 August, during a meeting of district and city presidents from across Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, national general secretary Shivpal Yadav and other senior leaders were seen wearing blue scarves featuring the party’s bicycle symbol in red.
The blue scarves were markedly different from the red and green scarves traditionally associated with the party and the red checkered gamchas used during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.
When asked about the significance of the blue scarves at the time, party functionaries had avoided giving a clear explanation.
Party leaders now say blue symbolises the vast open sky, under which everyone is equal and free from caste-based discrimination.
But the colour also has a strong association with Ambedkarite and Dalit politics, making its adoption politically significant for a party seeking to strengthen its PDA outreach.
A formal announcement of the new dress code for the Chhatra Sabha is expected to be made at a special programme at the SP headquarters in Lucknow in the coming days.
Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha general secretary Avnish Yadav said the combination of blue and red reflected both the party’s traditional political identity and its outreach to a new generation.
“Red is the colour of revolution, while blue brings new energy. It will help spread the ideas of Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar among students. Both blue and red fit our PDA formula. We will take these T-shirts to students across the state,” he told ThePrint.
Political observers say colours have long carried ideological and electoral significance in Indian politics. Saffron is closely associated with the BJP, red with the Left, while blue has become strongly identified with Ambedkarite politics.
Professor Kaviraj, a political science faculty at Lucknow University, said the SP’s decision appeared to be a deliberate political strategy.
“Every colour has its own significance in politics. Saffron is associated with the BJP, red with the Left and blue with Ambedkarites. SP leaders have traditionally been seen wearing red caps. The combination of blue and red that the party is now introducing also appears to be part of a political strategy,” he said.
He added that there was nothing unusual about a political party trying to expand its outreach.
“The question is how far the SP will be able to bring Dalit youth into its fold. It has to compete with the BSP, which remains the traditional political home for many Dalits, as well as an emerging Dalit political option in Chandrashekhar Azad. Winning over the entire community will not be easy, but political parties have to keep making such efforts,’” he told ThePrint.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)