Noida: Nearly 10 months before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav kicked off his campaign from Dadri, a town in the westernmost part of the state which drew national attention after the 2015 Akhlaq lynching and 2021 controversy related to Samrat Mihir Bhoj’s legacy.
Gurjar workers were mobilised from across western Uttar Pradesh for the rally. During his address, Yadav promised to raise the community’s concerns over the lineage of Mihir Bhoj and build a large statue of the ninth-century ruler, if SP comes to power. In 2021, Gurjar and Rajput communities were embroiled in a tussle, with both staking claim to the king. He also promised proper compensation for farmers whose land was acquired by the government in the region.
The choice of Dadri appears to be politically driven as Yadav seeks to reach out to the Gurjar community, the second most dominant OBC group in western Uttar Pradesh after the Jats.
Gurjars account for roughly 3.5 percent of Uttar Pradesh’s population, with their share rising to over 7 percent in western Uttar Pradesh. In the Yamuna belt stretching from Saharanpur to Agra where the Yadav presence is relatively limited, the party is now banking on a Gurjar-Muslim social combination to improve its prospects in the upcoming Assembly elections.
According to senior Samajwadi Party functionaries, the Rashtriya Lok Dal’s (RLD) support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Jayant Chaudhary’s presence in the Union Cabinet means a significant section of the Jat vote is now aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition. The party is focusing on the Gurjar community, the second most dominant caste in western Uttar Pradesh, thus attempting to form a new combination of Gurjar, Muslims and Yadavs.
Alleging that farmers are not getting due compensation for their land and price for their crop, the SP chief appealed for change. “Isliye badlav laiye, badaliye (make the change),” he said. “The change will improve your, our, and Uttar Pradesh’s fate.”
He said that if the Samajwadi Party forms the government, farmland acquired for any development work will be compensated for at market rates. He added that the provision of 64 percent additional compensation along with allotment of a four percent plot will be implemented.
Yadav also said that if the Samajwadi Party comes to power, it will construct memorials in Lucknow for Samrat Mihir Bhoj, martyr Vijay Singh Pathik, and freedom fighter Kotwal Dhan Singh Gurjar, and install their statues along the riverfront.
During the rally, Akhilesh Yadav paid floral tributes to the statue of Mihir Bhoj and performed an abhishek (ritual) with Ganga water. Gurjar leaders present at the event asserted that Bhoj was a ruler belonging to their community, reiterating their claim over his legacy.
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Plan for the west
The decision by the Samajwadi Party chief to launch the campaign nearly 10 months ahead of the elections is part of a broader strategy. The party is looking to strengthen its organisational base in western Uttar Pradesh, a region where it has traditionally been weak and also recover ground after the departure of Jayant Chaudhary. As part of this plan, the leadership is prioritising western Uttar Pradesh and making a concerted effort to bring the Gurjar community into its fold.
According to senior party functionaries, Gurjar voters are spread across more than 100 Assembly constituencies in the region, with considerable influence in around 45. The outreach is being seen as a clear signal of the party’s intent to engage more seriously with the community.
Speaking to ThePrint, the party’s Gurjar face and the main organiser of the rally, Raj Kumar Bhati, said the party’s internal assessment indicates Gurjar voters are present in about 130 Assembly seats. Of these, 76 constituencies have more than 10,000 Gurjar voters, while 31 have over 25,000. He added that in 21 seats, a Gurjar candidate has won at least once.
The current push, he said, is aimed at consolidating the community in favour of the party, highlighting that the leadership has consistently raised Gurjar concerns both on social media and in public meetings. The recent rally, he noted, has also sent a message to party workers to coordinate more closely with local Gurjar leaders.
Why Dadri?
Dadri had also come into focus in Uttar Pradesh in 2021 during a dispute over the legacy of Mihir Bhoj. The controversy erupted when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the town to inaugurate a statue of the ruler. Both Gurjar and Rajput communities laid claim to Mihir Bhoj’s legacy.
A few years ago, the area had also come under the spotlight following the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq. In the current political context, with Rajputs and Jats largely perceived to be aligned with the BJP, the Samajwadi Party is working on a strategy to consolidate Gurjar and Muslim voters in the region.
As part of this outreach, Kairana MP Iqra Hasan who comes from a traditional Muslim-Gurjar family was invited to speak first on stage ahead of Akhilesh Yadav. The party is also banking on her growing popularity to reach out to women voters across the belt.
Farmers’ compensation emerged as another key issue raised by the SP chief during the rally. Elaborating on this, SP leader Manindra Mishra, vice-president of the party’s teachers’ wing, said, ”Farmers’ compensation is a major issue in this region. In his Dadri speech today, Akhilesh ji reiterated twice that farmers were given 64 percent additional compensation.”
He added, “In 2014, under the Samajwadi Party government, additional compensation for land acquired along the Yamuna Expressway was fixed at 64.7 percent based on the recommendations of a one-member committee headed by then Cabinet Minister Rajendra Chaudhary, who is considered one of his closest associates. Now the party will take up this issue at the grassroots level. The rally also sent a broader message to farmers across western Uttar Pradesh.”
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)