Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is all set to be re-elected as the national president for the third consecutive term at the party’s national convention in Lucknow on Thursday. The meeting of the state executive of the party will be held on Wednesday.

Party’s Uttar Pradesh unit chief Naresh Uttam Patel is also likely to retain his post, SP sources said. Akhilesh Yadav and Naresh Uttam were elected to the posts they are holding at the SP’s national convention in Agra on October 5, 2017. The first day session will commence at 10:15 am with the hoisting of the party flag by Akhilesh Yadav.  Later, Yadav will deliver the inaugural address  which will be followed by presentation of economic and political resolutions.

SP general secretary and returning officer Ram Gopal Yadav will complete the process of the election of party’s national president. The valedictory address will be delivered by Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday.

Akhilesh had first taken over as SP’s national president after replacing his father Mulayam Singh Yadav in January, 2017. Naresh Uttam Patel replaced Akhilesh’s uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav at the party’s emergency national convention held in January 2017 amidst the Yadav family feud. The SP organised another meeting of the national executive in Agra in October 2017 and Akhilesh was re-elected as the party president while Naresh the  state president.

During the Agra convention, the SP also amended its constitution and increased the term of the party president from three to five years. After the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll results, Akhilesh had on July 3 dissolved the national and state executives of the party. The SP is currently busy with its membership drive.

Akhilkesh on Tuesday accused the BJP of vitiating the political atmosphere of the country by pursuing divisive politics which only generates hate. He alleged that the BJP made an attempt to hijack the democratic process and values. 

The SP chief alleged that the BJP government in UP had derailed the development process and development projects started during the Samajwadi Party government had been damaged.

“The BJP, during the last six years, has only changed the names of the development projects, cities and districts,” he added. The SP chief maintained that the party, during the state executive and national executive meetings, would resolve to dislodge the BJP from power in 2024 elections.

Akhilesh faces the daunting task of proving his leadership mettle. SP, under the leadership of Akhilesh, has suffered successive electoral setbacks.  Akhilesh was the chief minister in 2014 when the BJP swept the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. He faced another electoral debacle in 2017 when his party faced the worst-ever political defeat and the BJP formed the government in the state with a clear majority after a gap of 25 years. 

The Samajwadi Party had entered the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal. The alliance proved to be a disaster for the Samajwadi Party as its tally was reduced to five seats. It also lost Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha seats to the BJP in June last.

The SP’s tally in this year’s state assembly elections did increase to 111 but it was far behind the magic number of 204 seats. The alliance forged by the SP ahead of this year’s assembly elections is also in a bad shape as two allies have already deserted the SP.