The setback faced by the Samajwadi Party in the elections of chairpersons of district panchayats has exposed the chinks in the armour of the party’s election machinery and election strategy ahead of the crucial 2022 UP Assembly elections. The party leadership went into a huddle on Monday.
The summary dismissal of 11 district presidents of the party by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on June 26 has been termed as an “impulsive decision” which would be detrimental for the interest of the party ahead of the next Assembly elections.
“Election management has become a huge challenge for the party. The setback in the election of district panchayat chairpersons has exposed flaws in our election strategy. We lost some seats due to rejection of nomination papers, even though we could have won there. Targeting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party would serve no purpose as we cannot absolve our leadership for failure to contest elections with adequate preparations,” said a senior party leader.
Terming the setback in district panchayat chairpersons' elections as a “wake up call” for the party ahead of the Assembly election, a senior party leader said, “These elections were left at the mercy of the district presidents and many of them had little experience in managing and contesting polls,” he said.
Moreover, he said, coordination committees constituted in each district comprising former and sitting MPs and MLAs for assisting the district president proved to be ineffective.
Though the SP leaders are unwilling to speak on record, they concede that the misuse of official machinery in district panchayat elections had become an established tradition in UP during the last 25 years and the party leadership should have factored in this element in its preparation for contesting the elections of chairpersons of district panchayats.
Meanwhile, SP president Akhilesh Yadav alleged that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had gone “over the top” in rigging the elections of district panchayat chairpersons.
“BJP’s undemocratic conduct has posed a threat to the constitutional institutions. Hijacking Samajwadi Party candidates and preventing them from filing nomination papers by the administration along with the BJP leaders, has exposed the designs of the ruling party,” he alleged.
The former chief minister said Samajwadi Party leaders were being harassed and the state had unleashed a reign of terror against the elected district panchayat members of the Samajwadi Party.
“It is a matter of deep concern and anguish that the officials remained mute spectators instead of preventing those obstructing the election process. The State Election Commission also remained helpless and the Raj Bhawan is also conspicuous by its silence,” he charged.
Listing incidents of high handedness by the administration in districts Yadav said the BJP forcibly registered its victory in Balrampur district by arresting the Samajwadi Party candidate and snatching the nomination papers while the Samajwadi Party candidate was not allowed to file nomination for the post of district panchayat chairman in Lalitpur.
He said in Gorakhpur, BJP leaders forcibly closed the main gate of the district collectorate. The BJP kept guard at every point leading to the nomination room. Besides, he said the Samajwadi Party candidate was stopped from filing nomination papers in Jhansi and in Varanasi, the SP candidate's nomination paper was rejected by the returning officer.
He alleged that in the presence of the police, the BJP candidate tried to abduct the SP candidate in Basti while the SP candidate and proposers were abducted before nomination in Ghaziabad. He said a former SP MLA was fatally attacked in Bareilly, adding that instead of stopping rigging in elections, police and district officials of many districts were seen playing their active role in it.
Akhilesh Yadav claimed that people were waiting for the 2022 UP Assembly elections to give a befitting reply to the BJP. He said the Samajwadi Party would be voted to power in 2022 by winning 350 seats in the Assembly.