For ‘troubled districts’, Akhilesh Yadav creates new post of party in-charge

“The district in-charge will be appointed in districts where there are reports of severe infighting. It is being done directly by our state president Akhilesh Yadav and the new appointees will report to him,” said Arvind Singh Gope, cabinet minister and SP’s general secretary. He said action will be taken on the reports submitted by these district in-charges.

[related-post]

Significantly, the appointment in Agra has already been carried out. Vipul Purohit, considered close to Akhilesh, has been chosen for the job. “My task is to ensure the party’s (Agra) district unit functions smoothly and all directions from the party high command are implemented,” Purohit told The Indian Express.

While more names will come out soon, the party has already decided on their first major task – to ensure victory of the SP-backed candidates in zila panchayat polls.

In-charge will be appointed in Lucknow, Barabanki, Faizabad, Unnao, Mahoba, Mathura, Azamgarh, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Gorakhpur, Bijnor, Amroha, Muzaffarnagar, Jaunpur, Chandauli, Sitapur and Sant Kabir Nagar where the ruling party is facing immediate challenge of infighting, resulting in the district panchayat chairman polls taking a back seat.

Other tasks would be to achieve better co-ordination within SP’s district unit office bearers, setting up booth-level committees and interacting with workers of these committees, a leader said.

With the 2017 assembly polls in sight, this heralds a move through which Akhilesh intends to put leash on the different factions. Booth-level workers will have access to one office bearer – the district in-charge – who will take up the their matter to Akhilesh. The person will also play the “role of a third eye” by keeping a check on the SP’s office bearers “sincerity and loyalty towards party’s programmes and leadership”.