Akhilesh’s roadshow starts today amid row

UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is all set to display his youth power on Thursday when his ‘Vijay se Vikas Tak Yatra’ rolls out of Lucknow.

The yatra, in the first phase, will go till Unnao district and then the chief minister will return to Lucknow to attend the silver jubilee function of the Samajwadi Party on Saturday.

Massive arrangements have been made for the yatra which is being touted as one of the biggest events in the recent political history of the state. The idea is to present Mr Yadav as the most popular annd accepted face of the party.

At least 5,000 buses will join the chief minister’s yatra and all traffic from Unnao to Lucknow will be diverted to enable a smooth passage for the yatra, which is being widely publicised on local TV channels.

The yatra which is being held amid intense infighting in the Samajwadi Party will be noted for the absence of some of the top party leaders.

State SP president Shivpal Yadav, when asked whether he would be a part of the yatra, said, “I am busy making preparations for the silver jubilee function.”

Expelled MLC Sunil Yadav Sajan, who is known to be loyal to the chief minister, told reporters that Mr Yadav would be welcomed, every 2 kilometres, and would address the people at various points.

The route of the yatra has been swathed with hoardings welcoming the CM. Taglines like ‘Jis ore jawani chalti hai, us ore zamana chalta hai’ and ‘Kaam bolta hai’ are prominently displayed in the hoardings. Mr Yadav’s photograph is missing from all hoardings, clearly indicating that trouble in the party is far from over. A lone hoarding, however, says, “Shivpal kahey dil se, Akhilesh ka abhishek phir se.”