On day 1 of his Vikas Yatra, which begins today, Akhilesh Yadav is scheduled to cover 75 km.
As Akhilesh Yadav launched his bid for a second term as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh today, the posse with all-access to him is headed by Sunil Singh Sajan. The 34-year-old who is Akhilesh's go-to guy for his Vikas Rath Yatra (state-wide tour), is, however, no longer a member of the Samajwadi Party; he was expelled late last month along with other young supporters of the Chief Minister.
It is totemic of the Samajwadi Party's current status that Akhilesh, 43, will be surrounded on tour by nearly seven big youth leaders, all banned by his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is also president of Uttar Pradesh's ruling party.
After months of brushing off talk of a sharpening family feud, late last month, all members of the Yadav family expounded publicly and aggressively on their differences at a party meeting in Lucknow.
Mulayam Singh watched as his confidante and brother, Shivpal Yadav, grabbed the mic from Akhilesh and branded him "a liar." Akhilesh supporters later staged a large protest at the party office. Many of them had already been expelled for indiscipline by Shivpal Yadav a few days ago.
Party supporters wearing red T-shirts, which have Akhilesh's photograph, caps have the party symbol
Akhilesh has since indicated that even if he is removed as Chief Ministerial candidate, he will campaign for his father aka "Neta-ji". Mulayam Singh has returned the favour less generously, by confirming that while Akhilesh will be allowed to complete his current term, whether he returns as Chief Minister if the party is re-elected will be decided later.
On the first day of his tour today, Akhilesh is scheduled to travel 100 km in Lucknow and neighbouring Unnao. Though there are plans for him to stop every 2 kilometres to interact with people, he is likely to do so from a distance - on a hydraulic lift atop his Mercedes "
rath".
Pary chief Mulayam Singh flagged off son Akhilesh Yadav's tour, who also shared the stage with uncle Shivpal in Yadav family's show of strength.
On Wednesday, Mr Sajan was busy at his home with preparations for Akhilesh's tour, surrounded by other volunteers, most of whom have also been expelled from the Samajwadi Party. "There is no irony (in this)," he says, "socialism is in our veins whether we remain in the party or not. What is important is that we are with Akhilesh."
Material evidence is offered in the red T-shirts that Mr Singh and the others are wearing, which have Akhilesh's photograph on them. Caps have the party symbol of the cycle.
The last time Akhilesh asked for a shot as Chief Minister, he was 36. His campaign promised the youth of one of India's most backward states quality education, free laptops. This time around as well, his team is hoping to retain young voters on their side.
Harsh Vashisht, 19, and Anil Yadav, 25, are enrolled at the Lucknow University and say 20,000 other students will help campaign for the Chief Minister. The t-shirts are not optional. "We will wear these dresses and our job will be to ensure that crowds flock to every venue the Chief Minister visits. We will also coordinate with the media," said Anil Yadav. "I am not bothered. For me, it is all about Akhilesh," said Harsha when asked about whether the Yadavs' personal relations nightmare is eroding their party's credibility.