In an exclusive interview with News24 Digital’s Akshat Mittal, Ravidas Mehrotra – a veteran Samajawadi Party leader and a former minister in the Uttar Pradesh government – spoke on a wide range of topics including the future of INDIA bloc, upcoming elections in UP and the prospects of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav becoming the prime minister of India after 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Ravidas Mehrotra also talked about his own political ambition of becoming a minister again.

Ravidas Mehrotra served as a cabinet minister in the Akhilesh Yadav-led government in Uttar Pradesh. He was elected as an MLA from the Lucknow Central constituency in 2012. Ravidas Mehrotra first entered the UP Legislative Assembly in 1989, when he won on a Janata Dal ticket by defeating Swaroop Kumari Bakshi, then the state’s Home Minister. Inspired by Jai Prakash Narayan, Ravidas Mehrotra was actively involved in the ‘Sampoorna Kranti’ movement in 1975. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Ravidas contested against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from Lucknow as a candidate of the ‘INDIA’ bloc, but was defeated. He is currently serving as the MLA for the Lucknow Central constituency.

Ravidas Mehrotra Interview: Key Pointers

“INDIA bloc was forged due to public pressure”
“Congress sometimes acts against the principles of alliance”
“In UP, the only viable alternative to the BJP is the SP.”
“Mayawati has become a “B-team” of the BJP.”
“Samajwadi Party is fully capable of forming a government independently in Uttar Pradesh.”
“SP hope to become the largest party in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, and, Akhilesh Yadav could become the Prime Minister of India.”
“If opposition leaders had supported me, Rajnath Singh would have lost the Lucknow Lok Sabha in 2024.”
“I have been jailed 251 times between 1974 and 2024, which is a world record.”

Excerpts

What’s your take on the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-election?

• “Nine seats are up for grabs in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections, and the BJP is likely to lose all of them. I am confident that the Samajwadi Party (SP) will win each of these nine seats.”

Is the alliance between SP and Congress on shaky ground, since the Congress has not been given a single seat to contest in the UP Assembly by-elections?

• “The SP offered two seats to Congress, but they declined. Congress chose to step back from the by-elections on its own. The ‘INDIA’ alliance remains intact, and candidates are contesting with mutual understanding between both parties. This alliance was forged due to public pressure. While the SP is committed to the alliance, Congress sometimes acts against its principles. For example, the SP requested two seats from Congress in the recent Haryana elections, but Congress denied the request. As a result, the BJP won in Haryana and formed the government. An SP-Congress alliance could have swung the Haryana election in favour of the ‘INDIA’ bloc. Additionally, Congress’s choice of words during the elections may have alienated some backward classes, ultimately costing them votes. At present, the strongest alternative to the BJP nationally is the Samajwadi Party.”

Which among the two – INDIA bloc or the SP – Is the main alternative to the BJP, given that the latter does not contest elections nationwide?

• “In Uttar Pradesh, the only viable alternative to the BJP is the SP. However, we encourage opposition parties to unite to defeat the BJP and form a coalition government nationally in 2029.”

Which unexpected voter group supported the ‘INDIA’ bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh?

• “In Uttar Pradesh, BSP votes were largely transferred to the ‘INDIA’ bloc because the public wanted to see the BJP defeated. People in the state now recognize that Mayawati has become a “B-team” of the BJP. The BJP has used the threat of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to intimidate Mayawati, making her ineffective as an opposition leader. BSP voters also now realize she operates under the BJP’s influence.”

Will Congress and SP contest the 2027 UP Assembly elections as allies?

• “The SP is fully capable of forming a government independently in Uttar Pradesh, but we will still seek to maintain an alliance. Our goal is to prevent vote division. However, all opposition parties, particularly Congress, must adopt an inclusive approach for this to succeed.”

What are the key differences in leadership styles between Akhilesh Yadav and his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav? What is the future of the SP under Akhilesh’s leadership?

• “There isn’t a major difference between the two. Akhilesh Yadav embodies all the qualities that Mulayam Singh Yadav had. The SP was born out of struggles, and Mulayam Singh Yadav built it with sheer dedication. Now, as the party’s national president, Akhilesh Yadav has faced his own leadership challenges. Building an identity and a support base takes time, and Akhilesh has emerged as one of the country’s top leaders. His efforts made SP the largest party in Uttar Pradesh and the third-largest in the country in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.”

Do you see Akhilesh Yadav becoming the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh or the Prime Minister of India in the future?

• “SP will win the 2027 UP Assembly elections, making Akhilesh Yadav the state’s Chief Minister. Between 2027 and 2029, SP aims to expand nationally. We hope to become the largest party in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, and in that scenario, Akhilesh Yadav could become the Prime Minister of India.“

Does this mean Rahul Gandhi won’t be the Prime Ministerial candidate for the ‘INDIA’ bloc in 2029?

• “The Prime Minister will be the person the public favours. The leader of the party with the most MPs will naturally become Prime Minister. Our goal is for SP to emerge as the largest party within the ‘INDIA’ bloc by 2029.”

If Congress emerges as the largest party within the ‘INDIA’ alliance in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, what will that mean for Akhilesh Yadav?

• “The ‘INDIA’ alliance includes many parties, all of which will support whichever party gains the most Lok Sabha seats. The election will be held democratically, and the leader of the party with the most MPs will become Prime Minister. This fight isn’t for the Prime Minister’s position; it’s to remove the BJP from power. Congress was the main opposition this time, making Rahul Gandhi the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha—proof that we believe in democracy.”

In the 2017 UP Assembly elections, Congress and SP formed an alliance, and the Lucknow Central seat, which you traditionally contest, was allocated to SP. Why did Congress field a candidate against you despite the alliance?

• “In 2017, I was an MLA from the Lucknow Central seat and a cabinet minister in the state government. Both Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav held roadshows supporting me throughout the constituency. However, someone still filed their nomination as a Congress candidate. Congress had promised that this nomination would be withdrawn, but it wasn’t, leading to confusion. I lost the election narrowly, and the person I lost to, Brajesh Pathak (now Deputy Chief Minister), did not contest here in 2022.”

You contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh but lost. What were the main reasons for your defeat?

• “I lost to Rajnath Singh by a margin of just 1.35 lakh votes. Still, I won in two out of the five assembly segments within the Lucknow constituency. Various factors contributed to my defeat, including administrative support for Singh, unaccounted money used during the campaign, and widespread rigging. Above all, no alliance leaders held rallies or roadshows supporting me, aside from SP. Despite this, I secured over 4.77 lakh votes. If opposition leaders had supported me, Rajnath Singh would have lost.“

You’ve been jailed multiple times, but not for criminal cases. What were the reasons behind your incarcerations?

• “I have been jailed 251 times between 1974 and 2024, which is a world record. None of these imprisonments were for criminal cases. I was incarcerated for public movements, raising public issues, and opposing government policies. Out of the 251 cases, 246 have now been dismissed.”

If the ‘INDIA’ alliance forms the government in Uttar Pradesh in 2027, will you hold a ministerial position?

• “I will fulfil whatever role the party assigns to me. The party’s priority is to form a government in Uttar Pradesh and make Akhilesh Yadav Chief Minister. I have a strong rapport with Akhilesh Yadav, so we’ll see what unfolds.”

ALSO READ: ‘Urban Naxal’ To ‘Mountain Man’: Meet Chhattisgarh’s Rahul Gupta, Who Conquered Mt Everest