After facing its worst ever electoral debacle in the 2017 Assembly polls, the national executive of Samajwadi Party will meet in lucknow on Saturday.
Speculations are rife about party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav’s participation in the important meeting as he has been avoiding such meets in the last three months.
A SP leader said, ``What Mulayam Singh will do on Saturday is known only to him or his son Akhilesh Yadav. Nothing is left to fight over in the party and the people have given their mandate. It’s time for us to put our heads together and rebuild the party. Hence, I hope that Mulauyam Singh will attend the meeting and might also be offered to take over as national SP president.’’
However, no party leader was ready to go on record about his participation.
On December 31, 2016, Mulayam Singh had expelled Akhilesh Yadav from the party and only a day later, Akhilesh Yadav in a special convention of the party was elected as the SP national chief. The dispute went to the Election Commission and the poll panel ruled in favour of Akhilesh Yadav.
After wresting control over the party, Akhilesh promised that he would hand over the post of party president to his father three months later after the Assembly polls.
On Friday, SP vice-president Kironmay Nanda said that the national executive meeting would be held at the SP party office in lucknow at 11 am on Saturday
“Several issues would be taken up including launching of a membership drive and deciding the date and venue of the state convention. Other issues could be taken up with the approval of the SP president,” he said. Nanda however preferred to be non-committal on Mulayam Singh Yadav’s participation.
The SP national executive is likely to discuss the recent political situation in UP and the country besides reviewing the reasons of tyhe electoral debacle in UP Assembly polls.
The meeting could witness a sparring between supporters of Mulayam Singh and his son Akhilesh Yadav as both have been holding each other responsible for the recent poll drubbing of the Samajwadi Party.
Meanwhile, a SP leader close to Mulayam Singh, said that even as the national executive does not have supporters of the party patron, it will certainly raise the issue of holding responsible Akhilesh and his uncle Ram Gopal for the UP debacle.
“Akhilesh had said that he would be president for three months. He must honour his words as he has lost the moral right to remain so after the worst ever poll debacle. Hence, he should hand over the reins of the party to his father,“ said an SP MlC.