Our struggle will continue: Akhilesh

Urges party to reach out to people

UTTAR PRADESH, 11/03/2017: UP ELECTION RESULTS-AKHILESH :: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav interacting with media before handing over his resignation to the governor, Ram Naik as he lost mandate to form government in Lucknow on Saturday. BJP registered the landslide victory in the Assembly Election and will claim to form the next government in days ahead. Photo Rajeev Bhatt

After suffering a crushing defeat in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and party partron Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday met party workers and leaders and asked them to reach out to the people and strengthen the outfit.

During the meet, Mr. Akhilesh told party men that the Samajwadi Party was not only a party, but an ideology, and that “our struggle will continue”.

Will analyse results

“You all should reach out to the people and strengthen the party again. I will review the party’s performance and analyse the results. A meeting of all the party candidates and MLAs will be held next week after which we will devise our new strategy,” he said.

The SP, which got an absolute majority in the 2012 State polls by winning 224 seats, could only win 47 seats this time despite the party’s aggressive campaign against its rival BJP.

In the days preceding the elections, an internal feud erupted in the SP with Mr. Akhilesh on one side and Mr. Mulayam on the other. Though a semblance of order was re-established during the campaigning, it was not like old times.

The party entered into an alliance with the Congress for the elections, but it did not help change its fortunes.

Driven by the Modi wave, the BJP stormed to power in Uttar Pradesh after 14 years, securing a three-fourths majority.