by Ajay Kumar
Lucknow: The factionalism and internal disputes among Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders were laid bare in Lucknow on Tuesday, in the presence of the party’s National President Akhilesh Yadav. During the meeting, leaders leveled serious accusations against each other and blamed one another for the party’s loss in the Lok Sabha elections. Akhilesh Yadav expressed his displeasure, stating that a better strategy could have led to the party’s victory.
Akhilesh Yadav had called the leaders from Meerut to Lucknow to review the reasons for the Lok Sabha election loss. The meeting also discussed preparations for the upcoming by-election in the Mirapur Assembly seat in Muzaffarnagar. The attendees included SP legislators, former and current district presidents, and national and state-level officials. The SP faced a loss in the Lok Sabha elections by a margin of about 10,000 votes to BJP candidate Arun Govil. The reasons for the defeat included internal strife and mutual accusations, which were reviewed during the meeting.
Sunita Verma’s husband, former MLA Yogesh Verma, alleged in the meeting that the organization did not provide him adequate support during the election. He targeted Atul Pradhan without naming him, accusing him of sabotage, and criticized state executive member Dr. Parvinder Singh for not being available despite promises. This led to considerable arguments between them.
Former Minister Prabhu Dayal Valmiki was also criticized. SP officials accused him of not campaigning effectively for the party’s candidate in Bijnor, resulting in BJP’s Chandan Chauhan winning the seat.
District President Vipin Chaudhary was accused by former MLA Yogesh Verma of not managing the election campaign well. He alleged that Chaudhary did not properly utilize the allocated budget or make efforts to mobilize people, which contributed to the defeat.
Akhilesh Yadav told Cabinet Minister Shahid Manzoor, Sardhana MLA Atul Pradhan, and city MLA Rafiq Ansari that if they had secured an additional 10,000 votes each, the party could have won. He specifically mentioned Shahid Manzoor, stating that the party had lost several booths in the Kithaur Assembly constituency, which should not have happened.
Some SP members demanded the removal of District President Vipin Chaudhary, accusing him of not effectively leading the organization. Akhilesh Yadav instructed that all complaints be submitted confidentially in writing for further action.
Akhilesh Yadav also told Yogesh Verma and Sunita Verma that the election could have been fought better, but they still received a considerable number of votes and conducted a good campaign. The meeting included former and current legislators, Lok Sabha candidates, district presidents, and several other leaders.
