By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 4 Nov: The Samajwadi Party has stepped up its preparations for the upcoming Uttarakhand Assembly elections under its newly appointed state leadership. While the party is keen to contest the elections as part of an alliance, the final decision on any alliance arrangement and seat-sharing formula will be taken by the national leadership.
Addressing the media in Dehradun, today, Samajwadi Party’s newly appointed Uttarakhand president Abdul Matin Siddiqui said that, in the event of an alliance, the party would contest the seats allocated to it with full strength and extend complete support to its alliance partners.
He said Samajwadi Party workers would campaign wholeheartedly on all the seats allotted to the party and work to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state.
Siddiqui claimed that the party would like to contest around half of Uttarakhand’s Assembly constituencies, but clarified that the final decision would rest entirely with the national leadership of the party. He said the party high command would decide the number of seats to be allotted to each alliance partner.
The state president said that when Uttarakhand was formed, the Samajwadi Party was once the second-largest political force in the state. However, he acknowledged that the party’s influence had gradually declined over the years. He said the party’s focus this time would be on strengthening its organisational structure by bringing more youth and women into the fold.
Siddiqui asserted that the party’s objective in the forthcoming Assembly elections is to re-establish its political presence in Uttarakhand and expand its support base across the state. He said efforts are being made to revitalise the organisation and improve its grassroots connect ahead of the polls.
He further revealed that the party has been in regular touch with its top leadership regarding a proposed visit by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav to Uttarakhand. Efforts are underway to finalise the programme, and claimed that Yadav is expected to visit Dehradun and Haridwar either later this month or in December.
Siddiqui also claimed that there is considerable enthusiasm among party workers, particularly in Dehradun and Haridwar, for Akhilesh Yadav’s proposed visit to the state. He added that workers have been expressing a strong desire to see the party chief tour Uttarakhand and interact with the cadre as part of preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections.
It may be reminded here that owing to its anti-hill and anti-Uttarakhand image since the statehood agitation days, SP has struggled to get a foothold in the state and its influence has rather been limited to certain pockets in district Haridwar where Muslim population holds some influence. However, over a period of time, that influence has also seen a sharp decline with Congress taking advantage in district Haridwar through its appeasement policy led by veteran Congress leader Harish Rawat.
