The two-day national convention of Samajwadi Party to be held in the Taj City from Thursday will decide whether the bickering withing SP’s first family would continue or the party would focus on its substantive agenda of taking on its prime adversary - Bharatiya Janata Party.
On the inaugural day, SP president Akhilesh Yadav will brief leaders about the party’s agenda.
SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said in lucknow that around 15,000 delegates from 25 states were expected to participate in the 10th SP national convention at Targhar maidan in Sadar Bazar area. “Akhilesh Yadav is all set to be elected as SP national president for the next five years because soon after Assembly poll, Akhilesh had revised the terms of state and national chief from three years to five years,” he said. The spokesman informed that the convention would start with the hoisting of the party flag at 9 am on October 5. The same day, political and economic resolutions would be tabled and strategy and preparation for 2019 lok Sabha polls would be discussed.
Chaudhary said that the SP national executive would meet to finalise the agenda on Wednesday and thereafter Akhilesh would address a press conference at 5 pm. He said that Akhilesh would leave for Agra from lucknow by road in the morning and party workers will welcome him on the way.
However, senior party leaders were not sure whether Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has been invited personally by his son, would attend the meet or not.
“Time is running out for SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. He has to decide who is his prime enemy - his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, whom he toppled from the post of national president, his uncle Shivpal Yadav whom he marginalised or Prime Minister Narendra Modi,’’ quipped a senior SP leader, who had decided to stay away from the Agra convention.
The issue rattling the rank and file of the SP is not the feud within the first family but the lack of concern within the first family to resolve the dispute and end the deadlock. “The feud in SP’s first family is a festering wound. Akhilesh Yadav seems to be little concerned and is confident that he can steer the party to the 2019 lok Sabha poll without setting his house in order. The intra-party feud has already caused immense damage to the party in 2017 Assembly poll and continues to erode the credibility and image of the party,’’ said the SP leader.