Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party has prepared a series of songs, slogans and posters as it prepares for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav launched one such song, Sukh-dukh mein saath nibhayenge (We will be with you through thick and thin), on social media.
सुख दुःख में साथ निभाया है
सुख दुःख में साथ निभाएँगे pic.twitter.com/LxyBYnrfZP— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 27, 2021
The 2 minute 19 second song revolves around UP’s Covid crisis — the SP’s efforts in helping people and the Yogi Adityanath government’s mishandling of the pandemic.
The video includes visuals of queues outside oxygen refilling centers, and TV headlines about bodies of suspected Covid patients floating in the Ganga river. It also portrays Akhilesh as a “people’s hero”, and highlights the schemes he launched during his tenure as chief minister.
A senior Samajwadi Party functionary told ThePrint that Sukh-dukh mein saath nibhayenge is one of the main theme songs of the party’s campaign.
“Assembly elections are just seven months away, so we are starting our campaign with songs and slogans. In the next two months you will see some more songs based on our party. Sukh-dukh mein saath nibhayenge is one of the main theme songs of our campaign as it is related to Covid crisis,” the functionary said.
“There is also a plan to launch a campaign song, similar to Kaam bolta hai, which we had launched before the 2017 polls. The party has already finalised ‘Baaes May Bicycle (The bicycle again in 2022)’ as its slogan for the polls. Several more such slogans are also under preparation.”
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Songs, songs and more songs
Sukh-dukh mein saath nibhayenge isn’t the only song that the SP has launched. Of the other songs the party has released, one compares Akhilesh to Lord Krishna.
Titled Akhilesh aa rahe hain (Akhilesh is coming back), the song has been written by party leader Rajkumar Bhati and was launched on the Samajwadi Party’s official Twitter handle on 15 June.
माननीय राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री अखिलेश यादव जी ने सपा नेता श्री राजकुमार भाटी द्वारा रचित गीत "अखिलेश आ रहे हैं" का वीडियो को समाजवादी पार्टी के सोशल मीडिया प्लेटफ़र्मस पर जारी किया l pic.twitter.com/4nLNA4xr6W
— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) June 15, 2021
A line of the song goes as: “Murli dhari bhes badalkar Krishna aa rahe hain, Akhilesh aa rahe hain (Lord Krishna is coming, Akhilesh is coming).”
A second SP functionary said there was nothing wrong in branding Akhilesh as Lord Krishna. “If the BJP can use Lord Ram in its branding then why can’t we use the name of Lord Krishna,” the functionary said. “We have deep faith in Lord Krishna.”
Then there are songs such as Akhilesh Ji dobara (Akhilesh again) released in March this year, and which has been sung by Chahat Malhotra, a 20-year-old professional singer who joined the party in January last year.
Chahat has also sung Akhilesh ke sath nibhayenge (We will stick with Akhilesh), penned by professional writer Manoj Yadav, which was released in September last year.
The second SP functionary quoted above said that the party is also planning to release songs in Awadhi and Bhojpuri languages.
“Several other singers who are of our ideology may also work regarding these things in the coming days. Famous Bhojpuri singer Khesari Lal Yadav also met Akhileshji recently,” he added. “To promote these songs on social media, the party may add a team of volunteers to its IT cell. Several outsourcing influencers are also being contacted.”
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Slogans in the works
The Samajwadi Party has for now finalised Baaes May Bicycle as its campaign slogan.
Baaes is the Hindi word for 22, and stands for 2022 while the bicycle is the party’s election symbol.
But several other slogans are in the works, an aide close to Akhilesh told ThePrint.
“On the lines of West Bengal, taking a leaf out of the Trinamool Congress’ campaign slogan of Khela Hobe, the Samajwadi Party is planning to launch its Bhojpuri version of Khela Hoi,” the aide said. “A team of copywriters is already in touch with Akhileshji.”
Some party leaders in Varanasi and Kanpur had recently put up party hoardings with the Khela Hoi slogan.
Several changes in organisation are on cards
Apart from songs, slogans and social media promotions, the SP is also planning several changes in the organisation.
Akhilesh had Saturday sacked 11 district presidents, on the grounds that its nominees in these districts did not file their nominations for the post of zila panchayat chairman.
“This step was taken to send a strong message; there were several complaints against them. These posts will get filled soon,” a SP leader said. “In the coming days, there will be other changes. The party is taking feedback about several other district presidents as. We do not want to leave any loophole as this is a do-or-die election for us.”
The leader added that the national president posts for the Chatra Sabha (student wing), Yuvjan Sabha (youth unit) and the Mulayam Singh Youth Brigade will be filled soon.
The party’s chief spokesperson and MLC, Rajendra Chaudhary, revealed little about the party’s plans.
“The party’s focus is the 2022 polls. I can’t reveal everything in front of the media but it’s true that we are focussing on songs and slogans as these things help in creating narratives. This new song (Sukh-dukh mein saath nibhayenge) is about the SP being there when the public needs it.”
He also denies that it is on the lines of the BJP’s Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas.
“SP already has these factors. Hum sabke sath pehle se hee hain, ab janta BJP ka sath chod degi,” he added.
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
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