Post bypolls debacle, SP dissolves its all executive bodies

The party's Uttar Pradesh president Naresh Uttam will, however, continue to remain in his position

After the recent setback in Lok Sabha by-elections where its candidate lost in constituencies perceived to be strongholds, the Samajwadi Party Sunday dissolved its national, state and district executive bodies, including the youth and the women’s wing, with immediate effect.

“The national president of Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav, except for the state president of the party, with immediate effect dissolved the party’s national, state and district executive bodies. National presidents, state presidents, district presidents of all the party’s organisations, including youth and women’s wings, have also been dissolved,” the party wrote on its Twitter handle.

The party’s Uttar Pradesh president Naresh Uttam will, however, continue to remain in his position, the party said.

“The party is gearing up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the focus is to strengthen the organisation to take on the BJP with full force,” a senior party leader said as quoted by PTI.

Last week, the SP lost Azamgarh parliamentary constituency to Bharatiya Janata Party after Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’, a Bhojpuri actor, defeated Dharmendra Yadav of the SP by a margin of 8,679 votes. The seat fell vacant after the SP president, Akhilesh Yadav, resigned from the Lok Sabha and got elected to state Assembly from Kannauj.

Similarly, in another pocket borough Rampur, the BJP wrested the seat from the SP as its candidate Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi defeated Mohammed Asim Raja of the SP by a margin of 42,192 votes. The seat was vacated by the SP’s veteran Azam Khan as he too was elected to Vidhan Sabha from the Suar constituency.

“The party should tell people why it lost elections under Akhilesh Yadav. Why Yadav himself did not take responsibility for the defeats,” BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said.

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“The SP lost Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and 2019 and assembly elections in 2017 and 2022 under Akhilesh Yadav. He should also take the responsibility,” Tripathi said.

As per the analysts, the drubbing in bypolls was due to the failure of the SP’s time-tested MY (Muslim-Yadav) against the BJP’s MY (Modi-Yogi) phenomenon. The SP has, however, attributed its defeat to the alleged misuse of official machinery.

Earlier this year, the SP finished second with 125 seats in the state Assembly polls, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party retained power by bagging 273 of 403 seats.

Uttar Pradesh is one of the most politically significant states for Lok Sabha as it sends the most 80 MPs as compared to other States.

(With inputs from PTI)

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