LUCKNOW: In what is being seen as the formal launch of the party's election campaign, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav will embark on the first phase of ‘Vijay Yatra’ on Tuesday starting from Ganga bridge in Kanpur to end in Hamirpur district.
Before kick-starting the poll campaign, Akhilesh called on party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav to seek his blessing.
Sources said Akhilesh met Mulayam at his Delhi residence where the veteran politician gave some tips on how to go about the yatra. The meeting ended with Akhilesh touching Mulayam’s feet and the latter giving him his blessing and wishing him success in the elections. The party released a 17-second video of how the meeting ended.
Akhilesh took to Twitter to describe his Samajwadi Vijay Yatra as the beginning of the party’s resolve to ensure “22s mein bicycle” (bicycle being party’s election symbol). The party is focussing on the catch line “Badon ka haath, yuva ka saath” (Blessings of seniors and support of the youth) as the mantra for victory in 2022 assembly polls.
The former UP CM will embark on a customised bus which has a huge photograph of Akhilesh on one side while that of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Azam Khan on the other.
Party sources said Akhilesh would continue with the Vijay Yatra on his motorised ‘Samajwadi rath’ in phases, covering the entire state. In between the Vijay yatra phases, he would stay put at Lucknow to see senior leaders from different parties joining SP in the days to come.
The SP chief’s rath reached Kanpur on Monday. Akhilesh will leave for Kanpur on Tuesday morning and get on the rath at 10 am. The first leg of the yatra will end on October 13 in Hamirpur.
“After starting from the Ganga bridge, the yatra will take the Naubasta route to reach Neyveli Lignite Power station in Ghatampur to head for Hamirpur by Tuesday evening. The next morning, the yatra will start at 9:30 am from Hamirpur to reach Kalpi in Jaulan and end at Mati in Kanpur Dehat,” said SP chief spokesperson and senior leader Rajendra Chaudhary.
Rath yatras were an important part of the party’s campaign in 2001 when Samajwadi Party was voted to power in 2002. After the 2011 Yatra, not only SP was voted to power but Akhilesh was sworn in as the chief minister in 2012. “This Yatra which is beginning in 2021 will end with SP coming to power in 2022,” Chaudhary said.
He said though a minute to minute schedule has been drafted, it was highly unlikely to adhere to the time table as SP leaders have planned grand ‘welcome’ at around dozens of locations along the route in Kanpur City, Kanpur Dehat, Hamirpur and Jalaun.
