Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, on his return from over two-week-long vacation in Europe, on Wednesday asked the party cadre to pull up their socks for the victory of the party candidates in the upcoming by-election to 12 UP Assembly seats.

“To break the political monopoly and arrogance of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the target for us can be nothing less than winning the bypolls to all the 12 Assembly seats. Sink all your differences... your sole agenda for the coming days should only be victory in the Assembly bypoll,” Akhilesh Yadav said while addressing the party workers.

Rubbishing the goal for making India a 5-trillion dollar economy as set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the SP president said, “Its another ploy of the BJP to hoodwink the common man.”

He said the 5 trillion dollar economy had nothing for the common people like farmers, small traders, daily wage earners and labourers and it would only benefit the corporate world.

Nearly two months after the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections in which the SP faced its worst political debacle, semblance of political activity was witnessed in the party’s state office on Wednesday. Akhilesh had gone for a vacation to Europe in mid June without making any comment on Bahujan Samaj Party, which blamed the SP for the defeat of the mahagathbandhan in the Lok Sabha elections.

The rank and file of the SP, anxious over the inertia in the party after the Lok Sabha polls and breaking of alliance with the BSP, are waiting for the party to get its act together as all other political parties are working to strengthen their organisation at the ground level, particularly in the 12 Assembly seats where bypolls are to be held in the next couple of months.

Sources in the SP said on Wednesday that the party president had returned from the vacation and now the leadership would announce the dates of meetings and other activities.

“We have to admit that the SP is lagging behind in churning the party workers at the ground level as the Bharatiya Janata Party has launched its mega membership drive and BSP supremo Mayawati is holding meetings to energies the party cadre,” the sources said.

Hitting a political low after losing three back to back elections in the last five years, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is now faced with the uphill task of reviving the party. Despite Akhilesh repeatedly exhorting party cadre to start preparing for the 2022 UP Assembly polls, there is little enthusiasm among the rank and file, who are clueless and crestfallen after the crushing defeat in the recent Lok Sabha polls.  

The SP is yet to review the Lok Sabha poll results when other parties have completed the process and are taking corrective measures.

The SP is passing through the most crucial time after its formation by Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1992 as Akhilesh Yadav’s decision of forging alliance with the BSP also took a hit, as in the Lok Sabha elections his party ended up winning only five seats.

“The bold political experiment has only weakened Akhilesh’s position within and outside the SP. While many Yadav leaders ended up biting the dust in the election, Akhilesh’s bête noire and uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav emerged stronger and smugger,” said a SP leader.