SP leadership has taken the lead among the opposition parties in announcing the candidates for most of the assembly constituencies in 2012 elections and the SP president and former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has asked these candidates to go to the constituencies and organize big mobilizations of the common people against the BSP rule. SP’s national president has made it plain that his party alone is steadfastly fighting the BSP government on the issue of corruption and the deterioration in law and order.

The state president of SP Akhilesh Yadav is playing a major role in organizing big rallies in the major towns of Uttar Pradesh to focus on the failure of both the UPA government at the Centre and also the BSP government in the state. In his speeches, Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is exposing the corrupt practices of the BSP government and urging people to dislodge this most inefficient and corrupt government in the state.

SP leadership has taken into account the moves by the Congress leadership to emerge as a political force in the state even though for quite some time, the state Congress leadership was not at all active in mobilizing masses against the BSP government. SP president has appealed to his supporters and those who are aggrieved with the BSP government to work wholeheartedly for the success of the SP candidates in the elections since SP alone is in a position to defeat the BSP in the crucial assembly elections next year.

SP president has also underlined the significance of the next Lok Sabha elections and reminded his supporters that only by performing well in the assembly elections, the way will be prepared for winning more seats in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and it is essential for SP to ensure that it has enough seats in the next Lok Sabha for playing a major role in the making of the new government at the Centre. Mr. Yadav exuded confidence that no cabinet formation would be possible without the support of SP after the next Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile the Congress leadership in the state has initiated moves to have pre- election alliances with the smaller parties in UP including RLD of Ajit Singh and the Peace Party of Dr. Ayub. The Congress leadership has assessed that with Uma Bharti taking charge of UP affairs in BJP before the assembly elections, the state BJP will focus in a big way on the Ram mandir issue and this will lead to consolidation of Muslim voters against the BJP. The Congress will like to emerge as the main secular party in Uttar Pradesh at this moment aided by the AICC general secretary and in charge of UP affairs Mr. Digvijay Singh. (IPA)