For a 38 year-old young man bereft of any administrative experience, taking over the reins of the country’s largest state is, perhaps, the biggest challenge of his life.
Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav comes to office with an excess baggage of sky-high expectations that have given him a comfortable majority on one hand and, on the other, will make his task even more daunting.
The young voters in the state, who catapulted the Samajwadi Party to an overwhelming majority, now expect the youngest chief minister of the state to wave the magic wand and set Uttar Pradesh back on rails.
The biggest challenge that Mr Yadav faces is that of controlling the law and order situation that seems to be going out of hand after the announcement of results. Clashes between SP and BSP workers have created caste tensions across the state and the fallout is bound to be violent.
Besides, Mr Yadav will have to discipline the youth in his own party since the rowdy image of the Samajwadis seems to be overtaking his government. Though he has sent a clear message to his cadres in ways more than one, it will take some firm steps before the message actually percolates down to the village level.
The next big challenge before the chief minister will be to fulfill the promises made to various sections of people in the party manifesto. The Samajwadi promise of unemployment allowance has already led to serpentine queues outside employment exchanges and a vast majority of those getting themselves registered are unaware of the pre-condition that the unemployment allowance will be given only to those above the age of 35.
Besides this, the Samajwadi Party has promised to waive the loans of weavers and farmers and provide free electricity and water for irrigation to farmers. All this and the SP promise of free laptops and tablets to students would also require substantial funds in a state that is already facing a fiscal deficit of `23,299 crores.
One of the major liabilities that Mr Yadav is inheriting from his predecessor is a highly politicized bureaucracy that thrives in corruption.