Akhilesh dissolves all party posts after bypoll jolt

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Sunday dissolved the party's all national, state and district executive bodies including the youth and the women's wing, days after the SP lost two Lok Sabha seats considered its bastions to the Bharatiya Janata Party in bypolls.

Though the party has not given any reason for the decision, which comes into effect immediately, it is seen as an attempt to revamp the organisation after the drubbing on Rampur and Azamgarh seats.

The SP's Uttar Pradesh president Naresh Uttam will, however, continue to remain in his position, the party said.

In a tweet, the SP said Yadav has dissolved the national, state and districts units of all party cells including the youth and women wings. "He has also dissolved the national, state and district executives."

A senior SP leader said, "The party is gearing up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the focus is to strengthen the organisation to take on the BJP with full force."

The BJP on the other hand said it was the SP's internal matter, but asked why Yadav did not take the responsibility himself.

"The party should tell people why it lost elections under Akhilesh Yadav. Why Yadav himself did not take responsibility for the defeats," BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi said.

"The SP lost Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and 2019 and assembly elections in 2017 and 2022 under Akhilesh Yadav. He should also take the responsibility," Tripathi said.

Azamgarh and Rampur, Lok Sbha seats considered the SP's pocket boroughs owing to their caste and religious compositions, went to bypolls recently after they were vacated by Yadav and senior leader Azam Khan. The BJP came out as victorious.

Analysts put it down to the failure of the SP's time-tested MY (Muslim-Yadav) against the BJP's MY (Modi-Yogi) phenomenon. The SP has, however, attributed its defeat to the alleged misuse of official machinery.