Lucknow: UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will not campaign in constituencies where the Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded candidates with criminal credentials.
According to sources close to the chief minister, the latter will not question distribution of tickets but will not campaign for tainted candidates, thereby giving a clear message that he does not favour people with a criminal record.
The chief minister has reportedly refused to comment on distribution of tickets to tainted candidates.
Mr Akhilesh Yadav, who is now set to launch the third leg of his ‘Vikas se Vijay Tak’ Rath Yatra from Bundelkhand, has already skipped two major party rallies addressed by SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav in Ghazipur and Bareilly in the past one month. Both these rallies were organised by state president Shivpal Yadav, with whom the chief minister had strained relations.
“The chief minister will not waste time on infighting but will focus on the development work done by his government. His Rath Yatra will reinforce Brand Akhilesh. He is unlikely to share the dais with other leaders in the party,” said an aide of the CM.
Mr Akhilesh Yadav had launched his Rath Yatra on November 3 and has completed two short legs so far — from Lucknow to Unnao and then from Moradabad to Rampur.
It is apparent that the chief minister will run his own campaign and may not be a part of the party campaign.
The SP is planning two more mega rallies in Deoria and Gorakhpur later this month and the chief minister is unlikely to participate in either of them.
Senior SP spokesman Ambica Chaudhary said on Wednesday that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav will address six to eight rallies in the coming days and there was no point in all leaders coming together for one event.
“If leaders are campaigning separately, we will be able to cover more constituencies. It is wrong to say that there is any infighting in the party,” he said.
State SP president Shivpal Singh Yadav refused to comment on the chief minister’s absence from the rallies being addressed by Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav but said, “The party president is supreme and his presence is also supreme. The chief minister is busy with government work and will also campaign for the party. The priority of all leaders is to get a bigger majority and return to power and we are all working towards this.”
