Akhilesh asks party men to prepare for 2022 Assembly polls

The former Chief Minister asked party workers not to waste time but to launch a door-to-door campaign and create awareness about the anti-people policies of the BJP at the Centre and in the state.

Elections 2019: Attacking Narendra Modi for claiming that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Tuesday said the prime minister should be "banned for 72 years" for his "shameful" speech.

Lucknow: Unfazed by the results of the Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday asked party workers to start preparing for the 2022 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. The former Chief Minister asked party workers not to waste time but to launch a door-to-door campaign and create awareness about the anti-people policies of the BJP at the Centre and in the state. "We will continue our efforts to bring in 'mahaparivartan' (major change)," he said. The SP President, however, did not mention a word about the future of his alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), though he did ask party men to reach out to all sections of the society, particularly the weaker ones. "The BJP trades in falsehood and lies, whereas the Samajwadis have an ideology that guides them. We have to reach out to colleges and universities since the youth is in great distress. There are no jobs and the future appears bleak to them," he said. He directed the youth in his party to be offensive and not defensive while responding to the BJP's claims. "You should equip yourself with facts and figures, and then challenge the BJP to a debate in order to expose it. You should not be disheartened at any cost," he advised. The SP chief also said that his party would return to power in 2022, because his government had done the maximum development in the state. "Those who voted for the BJP in 2017 are now repenting. We have to work hard and make a comeback in the Assembly elections," he added.