With the Opposition parties stepping up their campaign in UP for the next Assembly elections, ruling Samajwadi Party has announced to hold big rallies at all 18 divisional headquarters. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has already announced to take out the ‘Samajwadi Vikas Rath Yatra’ from next month. The schedule of the rallies is likely to be announced after the conclusion of the ongoing monsoon session of the Parliament on August 12. SP sources said the blueprint for the 18 rallies is at the drawing board stage and would be finalised by the end of next week.
SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav directed the district presidents of the party and other leaders of the organisation to close their ranks and devote all their time and energy for the success of the rallies. He said the party will be completing 25 years of its existence in 2017 and in same the party will fight the most crucial battle in last 25 years.
Asking the party leaders to do their best for the fifth Government of SP in 2017, Mulayam said “I have brought the SP to this level with my blood, sweat and painstaking efforts and now it’s your duty to take the party to new heights’’.
Samajwadi party sources said the BJP and the Congress are hyper active in UP. Rahul Gandhi held a meeting in lucknow and Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently led a hugely successful road show in the Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency Varanasi. A SP leader said the national president of the BJP Amit Shah is addressing meetings of the both level party workers and he has so far covered close to 200 assembly constituencies. `There is little time left for the elections and we are all set to take the plunge in the electoral battle’’ the SP leader added.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has already announced to hold two ``Sarvajan Hitay Sarvajan Sukhaya ‘rallies in Agra and Azamgarh. She will kick start her party’s poll campaign from Agra on August 21 followed by similar rally on August 28 in Azamgarh in east UP. Azamgarh is also the lok Sabha constituency of the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mayawati had also announced during her rallies she will expose the secret pact between the Samajwadi party and the Bhartiya Janta Party.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has also stepped up his campaign in UP. He has already six public meetings in UP and will be in the state on August 6 to address a public meeting named as `` divisional convention of the party workers’ at Ghatampur in Kanpur nagar district on August 6. NItish Kumar has also found an ally in UP—the BSP rebel RK Chowdhary who is likely to float his party soon.
The Hyderabad MP and All India Ittehadul musalmeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi will also be in UP on three day visiting from August 12. Owaisi will be reaching here in lucknow on August 12 and address a meeting of the party cadre at Convention centre near the KG medical college. He will address a meeting of muslim intellectuals and religious leaders on August 13. He is also scheduled to address a public meeting in Kanpur on August 14. The state president of the MIM Shaukat Ali said the party has sought the permission from the district administration for the meeting and it will be held subject to permission.