Jubilee News Desk
# This is third time that Akhilesh became party chief
# Since January 2017 Akhilesh is heading the party
Akhilesh Yadav was re-elected president of Samajwadi Party (SP) Thursday, for a third consecutive time.
Akhilesh had become party president first on January 1, 2017 and again in October same year in another party convention. In this convention party president’s tenure was increased from three to five years. Hence a new president was to be elected in the party. Mulayam Singh Yadav, father of Akhilesh Yadav, headed the party between 1992 and 2017.
Akhilesh Yadav a day before had given statement that it was only SP that could defeat the BJP (in elections). He mentioned how Samajwadis had taken a historic decision in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
He said, we tried to realise the dream of Ram Manohar Lohia and B R Ambedkar of bringing the Bahujan forces on one platform, but those in power misused the official machinery and we failed.
Akhilesh, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister has a big task ahead of the upcoming 2024 general elections. Other than reuniting the party cadre SP has to overcome the issues connected to defeat in three big elections namely the 2017 state assembly elections, 2019 lok sabha and then in 2022 again the UP state assembly elections. All this after having won in 2012 as a full majority government in the state.
Although the vote share of SP has gone up and also number of seats won has increased but to form a government the (present) strength in the state assembly has to go manifolds. UP has 403 assembly seats and for a party to form a full majority government nothing less than 202 is required.
SP has named chief national general secretary Ramgopal Yadav as the observer for the election of the national and state presidents. Naresh Uttam Patel has already been elected state chief a day before.