Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is poised to resign from his membership in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, a move signaling his aspirations for a larger role in national politics.
This resignation will also mean he vacates his position as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the UP Assembly. Akhilesh Yadav was elected to the state assembly from the Karhal seat in Manipuri district during the March 2022 UP assembly elections.
The successor to Akhilesh Yadav as LoP has not yet been decided, but there is speculation that his uncle, Shivpal Yadav, a senior leader in the party, might be chosen for the role.
Akhilesh Yadav recently reclaimed the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency by securing 642,292 votes, defeating the incumbent BJP MP Subrat Pathak by over 100,000 votes. Initially, the Samajwadi Party had planned to field Tej Pratap Yadav, Akhilesh’s nephew, from Kannauj. However, due to party workers' preference, Akhilesh himself contested from the seat.
Akhilesh Yadav began his political career in 2000 by contesting a by-election to the Lok Sabha. He subsequently won the Kannauj seat in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, he contested and won from the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat, but resigned in 2022 to contest the Karhal seat in the UP Assembly.
Akhilesh Yadav received a warm welcome at the state party office on Friday, celebrating the Samajwadi Party's victory in 37 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing the party cadres, he expressed gratitude to the electorate and the party workers for their support.
He attributed the party’s success to the electorate's rejection of the BJP's divisive politics, emphasizing that the results reflected a victory for inclusive and positive politics, aligned with the party's ideology and constitutional values.
Akhilesh also alleged that administrative interference in several constituencies hindered the election of more Samajwadi Party candidates. Nonetheless, he reaffirmed his commitment to the party's principles and the pursuit of inclusive governance.
