LUCKNOW: Amid preparations for the swearing-in ceremony of UP CM-designate Yogi Adityanath scheduled for March 25 going on war footing, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav , on Monday, made it clear that he won’t be attending the event.
While talking to media persons, the SP chief said that he was not interested in attending the swearing –in ceremony. “Neither I think I will be invited nor I am interested in attending the swearing-in ceremony of UP CM – designate Yogi Adityanath on March 25,” said Akhilesh adding that his only suggestion to the UP government was that the dispensation should not lie to the people of UP anymore.
In recently concluded assembly elections, SP raised its tally from 47 to 111 and took it to 125 along with its ally but failed to form the government as the ruling BJP secured two-third majority by winning 255 seats on its own and 273 along with its allies.
The new government in Uttar Pradesh, led by Yogi Adityanath, will take the oath of office at 4 pm on March 25 at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee stadium in the state capital. The ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah along with the CMs of BJP ruled states and other
dignitaries.
Meanwhile, the BJP sources confirmed that the party had made an extensive list of over 200 VVIP guests including former CM Akhilesh Yadav, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav , BSP chief and former UP CM Mayawati, along with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, to be invited to the swearing-in ceremony.
Earlier in the day, the SP chief went on a surprise visit to his parliamentary constituency of Azamgarh and met party’s newly elected MLAs at nine-time winner from Azamgarh Sadar and former UP minister Durga Prasad Yadav’s house.
Samajwadi Party has won all the 10 assembly segments falling in Azamgarh district where the BJP drew a blank in recently concluded Assembly elections. As per the highly placed SP sources, Akhilesh Yadav held a meeting of his party’s Azamgarh legislators for half an hour to get their point of view over resigning from one of the two positions – either as Azamgarh MP or Karhal MLA—in the days to come. Akhilesh has done his assembly election debut from Karhal in his bastion of Mainpuri winning the seat with a margin of around 60,000 votes.
Earlier, in Karhal, Akhilesh had told his voters that final decision over retaining the Karhal seat or Azamgarh Lok Sabah seat would be taken only after consulting his Azamgarh supporters.
The SP sources also speculated that Akhilesh may retain Azamgarh and quit Karhal seat as SP had only five member in Lok Sabha and if Akhilesh quit Azamgarh, it would bring his party’s tally down by one in lower house of parliament.
Similarly, party MP from Rampur, who has won from Rampur assembly seat in recently concluded assembly polls, is expected o retain his parliamentary seat quitting assembly segment in order to maintain party strength in Lok Sabha.