SP steps up Dalit focus with first nat’l meet of Ambedkar Vahini

In a bid to reposition itself as a broader social coalition beyond its OBC stronghold, the Samajwadi Party is preparing to host the first national convention of its Dalit wing, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Vahini, on July 27 in Lucknow.

- Qazi Faraz Ahmad

The move signals the party's intensified effort to institutionalise Dalit outreach, three years after it formally launched the Vahini on Ambedkar Jayanti in 2021. With the Bahujan Samaj Party struggling to retain its traditional base and new Dalit voices emerging in regional pockets, SP appears to be stepping into the vacuum to shape a renewed caste alliance in Uttar Pradesh politics.

The national convention, expected to draw around 400 to 500 participants from various states, marks a significant milestone for the frontal organisation. Launched nearly three decades after SP’s inception in 1992, the Vahini was envisioned as a cadre-building platform focused on Dalit mobilisation.