Uttar Pradesh News: The month of Sawan has brought political color in the politics of Uttar Pradesh this time too. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is seen trying to get out of his 'pro-Muslim' image as he plans to perform Jalabhishek in Kashi Vishwanath temple this Sawan.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav will visit and worship Baba Vishwanath on the first Monday (Somwar) of Sawan on July 14. 50 thousand people of Yadav community from all over the country will also join him in this religious journey. This is being considered as his big step on the path of soft Hindutva.
Will his political image change?
In comparison to BJP's Hindutva agenda, Akhilesh is now working on a strategy to connect Hindu voters with the help of social justice and inclusive religious symbols. As per the Yaduvanshi tradition that has been going on since 1952, Jalabhishek takes place in Kashi on the first Monday of every Sawan, in which Akhilesh's participation is now being seen as an attempt to strengthen the caste vote bank of SP.
An exercise to balance political equations
While the BJP is sharpening Hindutva under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, Akhilesh is now on a strategy to make a broader Hindu appeal by moving beyond the Muslim-Yadav (M-Y) equation. However, due to this change, keeping the Muslim vote bank intact will also be a big challenge for Akhilesh.
Will the face of SP change?
This move of Akhilesh Yadav is being considered a big political gamble keeping in mind the 2027 assembly elections. Now it remains to be seen how successful Akhilesh will be in changing the image of SP and creating new vote bank politics on the pretext of Shiva devotion in Sawan. Akhilesh Yadav's Jalabhishek at the door of Baba Vishwanath is not just a religious belief, but also a part of the election strategy. Where he wants to challenge the BJP's Hindutva narrative by presenting himself as a "leader of every section".
Prakash Kumar Pandey