SP convention from Oct 8 to rework strategy

Smarting from the setback in Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party would be re-working its strategy to deal with a resurgent BJP in Uttar Pradesh at the three-day national convention beginning here on Wednesday.
The party did get some solace when it wrested eight assembly seats from BJP, including one held by its ally Apna Dal, in by-elections to 11 seats last month, just four months after the saffron party's near-sweep of the 80 Lok Sabha seats.
Besides emphasis on unity and better coordination among leaders and workers, the party's concern is also the behaviour of some of its cadres which has been drawing criticism, party sourcs said.

SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is all set to be re-elected as the national president of the party for the ninth time, is expected to give clear signal to workers to put a check on such behaviour which "has been earning a bad name for the party and was overshadowing the development works" being undertaken by the state government, they said.
The convention, which is expected to be attended by about 7,000 representatives from all over the country, would be deliberating at length on the "shortcomings" in the 22-year-old organisation which led to the "unexpected" results in Lok Sabha election and would formulate an appropriate strategy for the future, the SP sources said.

The party would be redrawing its strategy in keeping with the emergence of BJP as the "main challenger" in place of BSP and Congress in the next assembly election in 2017, they said.

The party would also be devising measures to keep the organisation informed so as to properly propagate the works of the government among the public, they said.
UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has often been saying that his government has been ahead of others in doing work but has been unable to speard awareness the achievements.
On the first day, a debate would be held on the political and economic resolutions which are being drafted by national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and they would be passed the next day.

An open session is slated for October 10 which would be addressed by Mulayam Singh Yadav and over a lakh people are expected to take part in it.
Mulayam and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav would also be unveiling a 25 feet high statue of socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra during the convention.
Representatives from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Lakshwdeep, Manipur, Goa, Odisha, Gujarat, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Chattisgarh, Uttrakhand, Telangana, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh would be attending the convention.