Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav now wants to build a pan-India presence for his party.
Mr Yadav is focusing on states like Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh where his party will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and, hopefully, pick up a few seats too.
The Samajwadi Party had contested the assembly elections in Gujarat, Bihar and Karnataka but could not win seats. However, the party's victory in four recent by-elections in Uttar Pradesh namely - Gorakhpur, Phulpur, Kairana and Noorpur - has enthused the Samajwadis who are preparing to conquer newer pastures.
"Mr Yadav will begin touring these states from July. His programme for Madhya Pradesh on July 19 and 20 has already been finalized. Mr Yadav is attracting youth in large numbers and his clean image is making people turn to the Samajwadi Party," said party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary.
According to sources close to Mr Yadav, the SP president wants to enhance the party's status to a national party and project himself as a leader of considerable stature - just like Ms Mayawati. Mr Yadav will be picking up local youth in states outside UP to build up the party.
