To ensure the pan-India presence of the party, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav has decided to contest assembly polls in states other than Uttar Pradesh. The party has fielded its candidates in 30 assembly seats of Gujrat and would participate in forthcoming polls of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Akhilesh Yadav after being elected National President of the Samajwadi Party for the third time last month had announced the expansion of the party in other states. He had announced that like UP and Maharashtra, the party would spread its wings in Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Haryana. To begin with its expansion plan, SP has decided to foray into Gujrat assembly polls.
According to the state president of the Gujrat unit of the Samajwadi Party, Devendra Uppadhya 30 candidates have been finalized for the 182 members Gujrat assembly. However, of these 30 candidates, the nominations of 10 were rejected on technical grounds and 20 are in the fray now. He said that the outgoing legislator from the Kutiyana seat of Gujrat Kandhal Bhai Jadeja is contesting on SP ticket this time. Besides party has fielded strong candidates in Abdasa, Tejpur, Patan and Amrai Badi. Upadhyay claimed that SP candidates would be elected on at least six to eight seats in these elections.
A senior SP leader of UP said that the party president has planned to contest all the 230 seats of Madhya Pradesh assembly elections scheduled next year. He said that of these 230 seats, the party would concentrate on 50 seats and ensure the victory of its candidates. It may be mentioned that SP had won two seats in the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls of 2018. However, both of its legislators had switched loyalties and joined congress. SP leaders said that taking assembly polls seriously party has started holding a district convention in Madhya Pradesh. Senior leaders from UP are being sent to address these conventions. Similarly, the party is planning a grand entry in the Chhattisgarh assembly elections this time and would contest on all seats.
It may be mentioned that the founder of SP, the late Mulayam Singh Yadav too had tried to expand the party in other states and accord its status of the national party. During the regime of Mulayam Singh, SP had contested assembly polls in Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttrakhand and other states. However, besides Maharashtra party could not create its base in any other state. Now Akhilesh Yadav has decided to begin with Gujrat and expand the party to other northern states.
