Mission 2022: After rejig, SP focuses on cadre training

In these camps, the participants are being trained and educated on party’s policies, philosophies, work done by its previous governments

LUCKNOW : After restructuring organisational set up in the districts across UP, the Samajwadi Party (SP) is now in cadre training mode for 2022 UP assembly polls.

The party launched this special in-camera training camps-where the participants are not allowed to take pictures to record audio video--in December last from Kanpur.

Then one each was held in Chitrakoot and Shravasti divisions.

The fourth one launched in Bareilly division on Wednesday ended on Friday with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who reached Bareilly on Thursday, addressing the camp.

The party is keeping a low profile about these camps as they are not being announced, publicised or any statements issued on them. The party is also not making any social media posts and tweets on them.

“The party will cover the entire state by April,” Akhilesh said in Lucknow while addressing party workers at the SP headquarters on Tuesday.

A senior party spokesperson said: “This time the training camps are significantly different. Only one three-day camp is held in a district at a time instead of having simultaneous camps in many districts. Party’s state president Naresh Uttam Patel leads the camp on all three days while the national president attends the camp one day and holds a session. These camps are focused on 2022 assembly polls.”

“Apart from prominent party leaders, professional political trainers and social media experts are also holding special sessions,” the spokesperson added.

The party is going in an organised and steady manner in its poll preparations with an aim to regain power in the state. After the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Akhilesh Yadav had dissolved all district units of the party. they were reconstituted by October last.

During the lockdown, videoconference sessions were held by Akhilesh and Naresh Uttam Patel.

From October 19, 2020, the party’s application process for 2022 polls candidature began where party members desirous of contesting elections or proposing someone’s name were invited to send applications. The process is scheduled to close on January 26.

“Applications were invited from all the constituencies barring those where the party had won the polls in 2017,” said Rajendra Chaudhary, former SP minister and the party’s state spokesperson.

In Bareilly camp, batches of select 100 workers from 25 assembly constituencies are being trained in batches.

The participants are being trained and educated on party’s policies, philosophies, work done by its previous governments, on what issues rivals have to be attacked (law and order, farmers’ stir and unemployment being the main issues) apart from demonetisation, taxes etc and how to use social media to advantage.

“The workers at these camps are also being trained about discipline and conduct. Those trained at these camps will act as master trainers for others and, in turn, will train many others right up to booth levels,” said a party MLC.

And there’s a stamp of approval from the party’s chief patron and founder Mulayam Singh Yadav to these camps.

On Tuesday, he in the presence of Akhilesh at the party office said: “Such training camps in Mumbai, Lucknow, Varanasi, Dehradun during my time were very beneficial.”