In an election close on the heels of a confrontation with his father, it was crucial for Akhilesh to keep his Yadav flock together. And he was doing it with precision, emulating his father, Mulayam.
The sun was about to set when Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav boarded the helicopter after finishing the last of his seven rallies for the day in his father Mulayam Singh Yadav's Lok Sabha constituency.
Looking towards the crowd from the helipad after addressing them, he said, "Look at the youth gathered here... wearing jeans and carrying smartphones." This, according to him, was his biggest advantage.
In an election close on the heels of a confrontation with his father, it was crucial for Akhilesh to keep his Yadav flock together. And he was doing it with precision, emulating his father, Mulayam.
He devoted an entire day to Assembly segments falling in Mulayam's Lok Sabha seat, where his party had won nine of the 10 Assembly seats in 2012. But the last time Mulayam visited Azamgarh — a seat he won in 2014 amidst a Modi wave that had swept UP — was eight months ago to inaugurate a sugar mill.
The feud within the Yadav family seemed to be the least of Akhilesh's worries. That he was accepted as the natural heir to Netaji's legacy echoed in the frequent applauding of his well-attended rally, dominated by Yadavs.
An old farmer and a supporter of Mulayam in the past, Bihari Yadav, crossed the wooden barricade to get a better look at Akhilesh.
He was not perturbed by Akhilesh's defiance of his father. "Which family does not have fueds? The son has to obviously take over the father's legacy at some point of time," he said.
For Akhilesh, the bigger challenge was to go beyond his party's traditional support base of Yadavs and Muslims. BJP was trying to retain the support of the non-Yadav OBCs and the non-Jatav Dalits, who had backed Modi in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Akhilesh targeted his most formidable foe — Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who, leading BJP's battle for UP, was holding three rallies in the last phase, including one in his Lok Sabha seat of Varanasi.
"Why just three, he can hold five rallies. In fact, he can even do rallies in each Assembly seat like I have been doing. The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance will be far ahead of others in Varanasi," Akhilesh told DNA.
He also said the alliance with Congress was working well on the ground. Exuding confidence, he said, "The sixth and seventh phases have always been in favour of Samajwadis. SP has not faced any losses in phases so far.
The PM, who claimed that the BJP will win 300 seats, is now talking about the alliance. They (BJP) can sense that this election is moving in our favour. Reports from the fifth phase indicate we are getting a clear majority in these elections."
He was dismissive of the BSP's merger with Quami Ekta Dal and Ulema Council backing Mayawati, pulling the Muslim vote away from SP. Party strategists claimed that the Yadav and Muslim vote was consolidating in SP's favour, and the alliance with Congress has prevented an anti-Yadav consolidation.
In Gopalpur, the friction between Akhilesh and his uncle Shivpal Yadav reflected in sitting MLA Waseem Ahmed being denied a ticket.
Addressing a rally in Madirabad village, Akhilesh took on the Prime Minister over demonetization, his comment of giving power on Diwali and Holi and even the 'expensive' suit he wore during his meeting with former US President Barack Obama, amidst intermittent cheers.
However, Suresh Yadav, who was one of the attendees of Akhilesh's rally, said Akhilesh's criticism of demonetization may not go down well with everyone
As Akhilesh left, the question that hung in the air was whether he can reach out to the youth beyond the confines of Yadav politics.
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