As the fight inside Samajwadi Party intensifies over election symbol `cycle’ a section of Akhilesh Yadav camp looks not that perturbed any more and are not ready to lose their sleep over this. They have made up their mind to go for motorcycle – the free symbol available with Election Commission as new election symbol of the party.
“We want Cycle as election symbol. If by any chance we are not able to get that, we will opt for motorcycle as it will help us to tell voters our progress from cycle to motorcycle,” a senior Samajwadi Party leader told The Pioneer on Sunday.
Both factions of Samajwadi Party – lead by father Mulayam Singh Yadav and another by son Akhilesh Yadav – have filed petition claiming themselves to be the real Samajwadi Party. Both of them are asking for Cycle as election symbol.
“We know there can be some problem in getting Cycle as election symbol. If the fight intensifies EC can freeze this traditional symbol. In that case we will opt for motorcycle as election symbol. We have done our homework. We are told that it is free and available,” the senior Samajwadi Party leader said on condition of anonymity.
The blue print of the campaign has already been prepared which centres around progress from `Cycle’ to `Motorcycle’. “Is it not routine in every householdIJ,” asks the Samajwadi Party leader. “We start with cycle and then switch over to motorcycle when we progress in life,” he said.
What’s about telling voters – a good section of them illiterate – about change in symbol of Samajwadi PartyIJ
The Akhilesh camp has its plan ready here too. “We have human and technological reach in 98 per cent households in Uttar Pradesh. In a few days every Samajwadi Party voter will come to know about the new symbol,” he said.
The confidence of Akhilesh Yadav camp oozes from the fact that a clever communication campaign has been launched by Harvard Professor Steve Jardings, who through his volunteers has reached every rural household of Uttar Pradesh.
lakhs of party volunteers have been recruited as Samajwadi Vikas Yojana Pramuks who educate villagers about government schemes like Samajwadi Pension Yojana, 102/108 Ambulance Yojana and Kaamdhenu Yojana. These pramukhs acts as conduit between villagers and government agencies. If any villager has a complaint they pass it on to the district administration and once these are rectified they are told that Akhilesh Yadav has done this.
“These Pramukhs will come handy in case Akhilesh Yadav opts for new election symbol. Besides that we have our own party structure which will help in disseminating news about new symbol,” the leader said.