In run-up to 2024, SP eyes strong booth-level presence
Akhilesh Yadav has announced that the party must have a strong booth-level organisational set-up to defeat the BJP in the state in the upcoming polls
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party (SP) is busy bolstering its presence at the booth level. For this, it has decided to form committees for every booth in all the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state.
On Sunday and Monday, the party announced the first list of in-charges for 47 constituencies. The in-charges will be responsible for forming the party’s booth committees. Announcements regarding the remaining 33 constituencies are expected soon. Among the 47 constituencies are also Rae Bareli and Amethi—the seats that it had been leaving uncontested for the Congress as a courtesy to the Gandhi family members.
Akhilesh Yadav has announced that the party must have a strong booth-level organisational set-up to defeat the BJP in the state in the upcoming polls. “By June 5, we will complete the process. All booths in 80 LS constituencies will have SP booth committees by then,” Akhilesh said on Sunday.
Within hours of the announcement, party state president Naresh Uttam Patel released the list of in-charges for booth committee formation in 32 LS constituencies. Only a select few persons, who have experience and are influential with organisational capabilities, are being given the duty.
MLA and former minister Avadhesh Prasad has been made the in-charge of Ayodhya (Faizabad); MLA and former minister Ramachal Rajbhar was given the charge of Ambedkarnagar, Ghosi, Ghazipur and Ballia; MLA and former minister Lalji Verma Azamgarh, Lalganj, Machlisheher, and Jaunpur; MLA and former minister Ram Murti Verma Shravasti and Gonda; former minister Ram Prasad Chaudhary Basti; former MP Raja Ram Pal Jhansi, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Kanpur and Akbarpur Rania; former union minister Ramji Lal Suman Agra, Hathras, and Fatehpur Sikri; former MP Anu Tandon Unnao; former MP Harendra Malik Muzaffarnagar. Anu Tandon and Harendra Malik quit the Congress and joined the SP before the 2022 UP assembly elections; Ramachal Rajbhar and Lalji Verma quit the BSP for the SP.
Announcements regarding district presidents for 31 districts have also been made.
The booth consolidation idea was planned at the recent national executive meeting in Kolkata.
Akhilesh, who has said time and again that his party would contest all the 80 LS polls with its allies, and it would not ally with the Congress or the BSP, had asked the Congress on Saturday to support regional giants.
Only SP candidates will contest from the 32 seats for whom the in-charges were announced on Sunday, according to party sources.
With the new addition, the party now has district presidents in 38 districts, who will work in coordination with the constituency in-charges of booth committees.
The party sources said that some of these in-charges might also become the party’s candidates for those seats.