How Akhilesh Yadav is using three stages in Delhi for one big gain

Published 23 July 2026 · local

In a span of a few days, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav turned two of New Delhi's most politically important stages into a platform

In a span of a few days, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav turned two of New Delhi's most politically important stages into a platform of campaign messaging. The third stage came up unexpectedly outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official residence, where Akhilesh made a surprise appearance, turning a sit-in by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi into another stage aimed squarely at Uttar Pradesh's youth. Read Full Story Doing just more than acknowledging and reacting to the protests, the SP has appeared to use it to reinforce a political identity it wants voters to associate with it before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. The SP, out of power for two consecutive terms in UP, wants to be seen as the one standing with students, job aspirants and unemployed youth. These three stages might be in New Delhi for Akhilesh and the SP. The destination isn't the national capital for now. It is Lucknow. However, the road to Lucknow seems to be passing via Delhi. Akhilesh Yadav is emerging as the second most prominent face of the Opposition in the protests after Rahul Gandhi. Akhilesh's use of the three stages came amid the Opposition's mobilisation around the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) agitation over alleged exam paper leaks and irregularities in recruitment examinations. For the SP chief, the first stage was Jantar Mantar, where party MP Dimple Yadav repeatedly visited protesters, met fasting activist Sonam Wangchuk, interacted with students and accused the BJP government of failing India's youth. The second stage was Parliament, where Akhilesh Yadav took on the same issues inside the Lok Sabha, linking paper leaks, unemployment and the police action against protesters to what he described as the government's failures. The third stage came outside Modi's residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, where Akhilesh joined Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi (LOP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc leaders in a sit-in that ended with their detention by Delhi Police. Individually. Each of these separate incidents appear to be a part of the Opposition's campaign. But, together they projected a sequenced political messaging bid. JANTAR MANTAR, THE FIRST STAGE OF SAMAJWADI PARTY, AKHILESH YADAV Like political campaigns need a humane face before they acquire a political one, Dimple Yadav played that role for the SP.

As the CJP-led protests gathered momentum at Jantar Mantar over NEET paper leaks and alleged examination irregularities, Mainpuri MP and wife of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, emerged as one of the most visible Opposition leaders, who met Wangchuk and the leaders of the CJP several times. Unlike a one-off political visit, she returned to the protest site multiple times over several days. She marched from Parliament to Jantar Mantar alongside Samajwadi Party MPs, carrying placards that questioned the integrity of the examination system. Following clashes between protesters and police, Dimple Yadav accused the government of suppressing the voices of students instead of addressing their concerns. She alleged that the recruitment and examination system had become compromised and argued that the country's youth were being pushed into uncertainty. The SP wants to show that while it stands with the CJP's agitation, the issues of youth unemployment and paper leaks are part of its own political agenda. Instead of just attacking the BJP from press conferences or television studios, the SP leadership appeared physically present alongside agitating students. And, that's what the SP needs before the crucial polls. It's visibly attempting to widen its social coalition beyond traditional PDA caste arithmetic. That's where the grievances of the young offered them an attractive stage. Paper leaks and unemployment resonate across caste lines, which the SP sees as a politically powerful issue. This plank of the SP also dovetailed with Akhilesh Yadav's broader messaging over the past year, where paper leaks, delayed recruitments and unemployment became recurring themes in his speeches. Moreover, the SP has already shown its willingness to align with Sanatana and the soft-Hindutva brand of politics. SP's SECOND STAGE WAS THE PARLIAMENT; AKHILESH MADE GOOD USE OF IT If the visuals of MP Dimple Yadav at Jantar Mantar generated goodwill, Akhilesh Yadav's speech in the Parliament generated headlines. Soon after the police action against protesters, Akhilesh Yadav carried the issue into the Lok Sabha. He represents the Kannauj seat of UP in the lower house. Akhilesh's outburst in the Lok Sabha was not restricted to the alleged police excesses.