Akhilesh re-elected SP president for 5 years
AGRA: The Samajwadi Party (SP) unanimously re-elected Akhilesh Yadav as the national president for five years on Thursday at its national convention in Agra.
The party authorised Akhilesh to constitute SP’S national executive committee.
The party constitution was also amended to extend the tenure of the party chief to five years from the existing three years.
Election officer and national general secretary of the party, Ram Gopal Yadav, conducted the proceedings for the election of party president and delegates from 25 states present at the venue accorded their sanction.
Yadav presented the draft for amendments to the party’s constitution which were passed by the House.
In his address, Akhilesh said Agra had always been a lucky venue for party conventions.
SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother Shivpal gave the event a miss.
“I had invited Netaji (Mulayam) to the convention and told him that the party leaders would be happy if he attends the meet. He gave me his blessings. He blessed me again when I talked to him this morning before the convention,” Akhilesh said.
He said there was a need to strengthen the SP so that it could emerge as a national party.
Targeting the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh claimed farmers were being cheated in the name of loan waiver, while traders were being harassed after the implementation of GST. He also blamed demonetisation for loss of jobs and unemployment.
Party MP and Akhilesh’s wife Dimple Yadav also thanked Mulayam for extending his best wishes for the convention.
Dimple said the BJP government had stopped all welfare schemes initiated by Akhilesh.
Claiming that the Yogi Adityanath government had failed on all fronts, she said: “Girls are being cane-charged at BHU for no fault of theirs, while mothers in Gorakhpur are crying over the death of their children.”