Rahul, Akhilesh set for faceoff

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In a bid to turn the 2012 UP electoral battle between between himself and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, state Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has embarked upon a hunt to find prospective candidates by inviting applications and interviewing them.

The young Yadav has already received on an average seven applications from each of the 403 Assembly seats and is gearing up to field a large number of fresh faces in the state polls, which is likely to unfold as one of the fiercely contested elections.
Mr Yadav’s move comes in the backdrop of the Congress, under the direction of Mr Gandhi, having initiated process to identify prospective candidates in the state. The young Yadav’s move to personally interview prospective candidates is also similar to Mr Gandhi’s approach in picking Youth Congress leaders.
“We had invited applications from those who were interested to contest the elections. We got about seven applications on an average against each of the 403 Assembly seats. I am interviewing them or you can say that I am discussing with them to zero in on the right candidate by assessing all aspects like likely candidates of rival parties,” Mr Yadav told this newspaper.
It is to be noted here that just after defeat of his wife Dimple Yadav at the hands of the Congress candidate Raj Babbar in the Firozabad Lok Sabha byelection, Mr Yadav had stated: “If someone throws challenges at me, I accept it. Till now, the SP-Congress battle was limited to seniors. But it is the first time that Rahul came here, and campaigned against us. It is the beginning of a Rahul vs Akhilesh contest.”
Mr Yadav also stated that his party would be giving opportunity to a large number of new people, including the youth.
“The applicants who want to contest the polls are from within the party and have been with us for about 10 years. I am checking on their strengths and weaknesses. The right candidate will be picked,” said Mr Yadav.
Apart from interviewing prospective candidates, Mr Yadav has also started extensively touring the nook and corner of the state to connect with the party workers and to win back those who had drifted away from the party.
“I recently went to Mau and Azamgarh. I am getting overwhelming response. In Azamgarh, the Muslims told me that their faith in the party now rests restored after the apology of Netaji (the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav) to the minority community,” stated Mr Yadav.