Uttar Pradesh has its youngest chief minister in 38-year-old Akhilesh Yadav whose address till a few years back was c/o Mulayam Singh Yadav, ex-Defense minister of India. The 'youngest' tab on Akhilesh would have been more suitable had he not inherited the political legacy from his father and had a 'readymade' big ground of Samajvadi Party prepared by his father. Even then his role in rise of Samajvadi Party again in Uttar Pradesh cannot be overlooked.
His dominant role in Samajvadi Party in the past few years even as his father commonly known as Netaji is battling ill health meant the youth section of society getting attached to the party and giving it a definite edge over the parties like BSP, Congress and undoubtedly the BJP. Of the last three parties Congress did and does have a young face in Rahul Gandhi but the BSP and the BJP both were devoid of young leaders and full of oldies whose thought, vision, ideology and principles hardly attracted the youths towards their respective parties.
What came as a shot in the arms of the SP (Samajvadi Party) at the time of elections was Samajvadi Party's (read Akhilesh Yadav's) promise to youths to give them laptops in case the party was voted to power. This move, definitely on the line of Southern states parties, perhaps the first in UP as far as giving of any electronic gadget is concerned, disarmed the rival parties. The youth icon of Congress better known as Yuvraj couldn't think of such a move and his tearing the list of promises of other parties could not cut much ice with the electorate.
But the story doesn't end here. In fact, this is the beginning for Akhilesh Yadav. He would have to strive hard to remove the tag of the 'party of hooligans' from his party. He would have to look for every resources to fulfill the promises to the electorate mainly youths otherwise it has the chances of boomeranging on the party. He has no option also but to deliver if he has to shape up his political career for the coveted post at the centre his father couldn't get to despite being near to it once.
His dominant role in Samajvadi Party in the past few years even as his father commonly known as Netaji is battling ill health meant the youth section of society getting attached to the party and giving it a definite edge over the parties like BSP, Congress and undoubtedly the BJP. Of the last three parties Congress did and does have a young face in Rahul Gandhi but the BSP and the BJP both were devoid of young leaders and full of oldies whose thought, vision, ideology and principles hardly attracted the youths towards their respective parties.
What came as a shot in the arms of the SP (Samajvadi Party) at the time of elections was Samajvadi Party's (read Akhilesh Yadav's) promise to youths to give them laptops in case the party was voted to power. This move, definitely on the line of Southern states parties, perhaps the first in UP as far as giving of any electronic gadget is concerned, disarmed the rival parties. The youth icon of Congress better known as Yuvraj couldn't think of such a move and his tearing the list of promises of other parties could not cut much ice with the electorate.
But the story doesn't end here. In fact, this is the beginning for Akhilesh Yadav. He would have to strive hard to remove the tag of the 'party of hooligans' from his party. He would have to look for every resources to fulfill the promises to the electorate mainly youths otherwise it has the chances of boomeranging on the party. He has no option also but to deliver if he has to shape up his political career for the coveted post at the centre his father couldn't get to despite being near to it once.
