Patna: The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Friday announced its list of 20 star campaigners for the upcoming
Bihar assembly elections to be held in two phases on Nov 6 and 11. Although the SP is not contesting the Bihar elections directly, it has pledged its support to the INDI Alliance.
Notably absent from the list are prominent party figures Ram Gopal Yadav, chief national general secretary, and Shivpal Yadav, general secretary.
The list is led by SP president
Akhilesh Yadav, who is set to begin his tour on Oct 25, followed by Kiranmoy Nanda and Azam Khan. Akhilesh’s nephew, Tej Pratap Yadav, who is also the son-in-law of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, is also included in the list.
Party spokesperson and national secretary Rajendra Chaudhary said Ram Gopal and Shivpal voluntarily withdrew their names due to personal commitments.
Cognizant of Bihar’s caste-based political landscape, the SP has ensured representation from all major communities in its list. Dalit leaders like Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad and Jaunpur's Machhlishahr MP Priya Saroj have been included. Leaders from the backward communities such as Babu Singh Kushwaha and Naresh Uttam Patel have also been named as star campaigners. The list also features leaders from various other communities, including Brahmins, Thakurs and Muslims, with notable names like Sanatan Pandey, Om Prakash Singh, Khan, Afzal Ansari and Iqra Hasan.
Earlier during a visit to Kishangarh, Rajasthan today, Akhilesh congratulated the INDI Alliance for the Bihar elections. He expressed optimism that the people of Bihar are ready for change and will give the alliance and its chief ministerial face
Tejashwi Prasad Yadav a chance.
Taking a jibe at the BJP, Akhilesh labelled it a “govt of lies” rather than a “double-engine” govt. He accused the BJP of failing to deliver on its promises.