Lucknow, Dec 24 (IANS): There is confusion, contradiction and chaos in the Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

As the main challenger to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, the SP seems caught in a web of its own making. The party leadership remains in a state of confusion, allowing political strategies to be ruined by personal likes and dislikes.

There is complete chaos in party ranks and the leaders end up contradicting themselves.

Akhilesh Yadav may be an unchallenged leader in his party but he remains confused about his own status, strategies and political moves.

As a member of the INDIA bloc, SP is keen not to isolate itself among Opposition members. However, it also wants to remain in the driving seats in Uttar Pradesh -- both of which cannot exist simultaneously.

Akhilesh's relationship with the Congress is caught in a blow-hot-blow-cold situation and this lack of clarity on the issue has left his party cadres perplexed.

“We do not know what our relationship with the Congress is. There is a strange distance between the two parties at the ground level which will make an electoral alliance unpalatable during elections if the differences are not ironed out now. As opposition parties, we do not speak the same language and neither are we on the same page where major issues are concerned,” said a senior party MLA.

Akhilesh has been peddling soft Hindutva and is now equally wary of speaking out on issues related to minorities, especially Muslims. However, senior SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya is working as a one-man demolition squad on Akhilesh’s Hindutva policy by making anti-Hindu statements with regular frequency.

Maurya’s stand on Ramcharitmanas verses being "anti-Dalit", his questioning the appearance of Goddess Laxmi and his comments on Sanatan Dharma have not gone down well with upper caste Hindus within his own party.

Upper caste leaders in the Samajwadi Party are said to be upset over Akhilesh’s failure to rein in Maurya and some of them have even spoken out against this.

Akhilesh, meanwhile, refuses to utter a word against Maurya who is his current favourite in the party these days.

The alienation of Hindus -- even among OBCs -- could prove dear for the SP in the elections.

The BJP has been focussing on its ‘Hindus First’ card which will wean away the Dalits and OBCs who may be in the SP but still have strong religious beliefs.

Muslims, on the other hand, are upset with the SP leadership that tends to avoid issuing statements on matters related to Muslims -- whether it is the crackdown on Mohd Azam Khan, the ban on ‘halal’ meat or the manhandling of Kashmiri vendors.

SP MPs including S.T. Hasan and Shafique Rehman Barq have not shied away from speaking on issues concerning their community and have even slammed the party for its silence in such matters.

The BSP also remains a sore point with the SP, ahead of the polls.

Mayawati has been trying to ensure that the SP does not make a dent in her vote bank through Akhilesh’s PDA (Picchda-Dalit-Alpasankhyak) formula. Akhilesh, on the other hand, is not too keen on ensuring BSP’s presence in the INDIA bloc.

In a situation where policies, seat sharing and strategies remain unclear, the SP can be seen struggling to find a firm foothold in the shifting political sands of Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.