Mulayam Singh Yadav asks party to prepare for early polls

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has exhorted his party workers to prepare for early Lok Sabha elections, signalling that the Congress-led ruling coalition at the Centre cannot take his issue-based outside support for granted.

Yadav’s statement on Friday, on the occasion of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia’s birth anniversary, came just days after his party decided against joining the Union government despite Congress overtures. Congress is believed to have offered the post of Rajya Sabha deputy chairman to SP, an offer that Yadav refused.

At the same time, SP recently bailed out the government in Parliament over the divisive issue of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, partly because it needs time to consolidate its recent gains in the UP assembly polls.

“Elections can happen anytime after a year. The party should be prepared for polls,” Yadav said. He asked his son, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yada to direct the officials to implement the party manifesto within six months so that the party can confidently face the electorate in the Lok Sabha polls.

Yadav said he had already told his son to hand over the party manifesto to all bureaucrats so that they immediately get down to the task of implementing the party’s promises. The state government should show results within six months, he said, adding that he was keeping a close eye on the government.

Congress has been openly wooing SP, which has 22 Lok Sabha members, mainly to counter its coalition partner Trinamool Congress that has pushed the government to the brink on several critical issues. “Why join the government when only a year or so is left,” Yadav had asked earlier this week.

SP believes it can repeat its recent performance in assembly polls if Lok Sabha elections are held before 2014 when they are due. With BSP still smarting from its loss, and both Congress and BJP marginalised in the state, SP hopes to increase its strength in the Lok Sabha and play a greater role at the Centre.