New Delhi (Agency): In the aftermath of a bypoll victory in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghosi, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to stir the pot of political speculation. Posting a cryptic message that questioned the meaning of “G” in G20, Yadav appeared to be hinting at his party’s growing influence and the possibility of a united opposition against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Ghosi bypoll win came just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was wrapping up his attendance at the G20 Summit. “Someone is asking, does G in G20 stand for Ghosi?” read the post by Yadav, a rough translation from the original Hindi. The timing of this comment, following international events like the G20, has intrigued political watchers.
The victory in Ghosi was notable for being the first win by the opposition INDIA alliance, of which the Samajwadi Party is a part. The election became a test for the unity of the opposition bloc. None of the INDIA alliance parties fielded candidates in Ghosi; instead, they chose to back the Samajwadi Party candidate, Sudhakar Singh. Singh won by a large margin, taking the seat with 42,759 more votes than his nearest competitor.
After the win, posters appeared across Ghosi, supporting another Samajwadi Party leader, Shivpal Yadav, and criticizing Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar. One poster read, “Tiger is still alive,” referring to Shivpal Yadav, while another described Rajbhar as a “tainted cartridge” that political parties should be wary of.
Samajwadi Party’s Udayveer Singh said that the Ghosi win has rekindled hopes for the INDIA alliance. “The result of the bypoll has given hope that the INDIA alliance will defeat the ruling BJP at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha election,” he said.
The byelection in Ghosi was necessitated after Dara Singh Chauhan, who had won the seat as a Samajwadi Party candidate in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, switched sides back to the BJP.
Political observers are now paying close attention to how this win will impact the Lok Sabha elections due next year. “The way the Samajwadi Party has registered its victory with a huge margin under the INDIA alliance, the result has given hope to all. In the upcoming election, we are going to do even better,” Udayveer Singh added.
