Won't contest in polls next year: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party chief and de facto face of the party Akhilesh Yadav has announced that he will not be competing in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls himself for the Chief Minister seat. The Samajwadi Party would be forming an alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RDL) party he added, in an interview to PTI. No reason was given by Yadav as to his not contesting the polls although he did say that a final decision would be announced by the party.

The SP has already announced an alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SPSP). The alliance with the RDL is expected to boost the Samajwadi Party's stance of opposition against the farm laws enacted by the Center. In the PTI interview Yadav said no alliances had been discussed with either the Trinamool Congress nor the AiMIM.

"We all raise issues of farmers, employment, common man. Everyone is releasing their manifesto. If voted to power, our government will try to accommodate them and prepare a common minimum programme," he said. Several new members of the Samajwadi party are from the BJP and BSP MLA cadre which Yadav said showed that the people were awakening to the 'lies' of the BJP and seeing the SO as a viable alternative.

Lambasting the BJP for allegedly not fulfilling the terms of its manifesto, Yadav pointed out that the people of UP would not forget the lack of treatment and equipment during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, nor the current unemployment and inflation. While SP workers were out on the streets helping people, the UP government attempted to stifle them by slapping charges against them he claimed.

"The SP is the only party that can face BJP and stand tall before them in the interest of people. Farmers are also with the SP. This time there will be a change in the state and people of the state have made up their minds," he said.