LUCKNOW Holding ‘chaupals’ in villages, distributing pamphlets, addressing public at road corners and enjoying celebration songs all alongside, the Samajwadi Party’s 2024 version of ‘Desh Bachao, Desh Banao’ bicycle rally has already turn out to be the longest ever – each when it comes to days and distance.
After being rolled out from Prayagraj on August Kranti Diwas (August 9), the rally entered its thirty seventh day and clocked 2,600km on Thursday.
With the ‘bicycle’ as its election image, bicycle rallies are one of the vital most popular modes of pre-election and election campaigns of the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party. Previously, the celebration’s founding president late Mulayam Singh Yadav, a number of distinguished leaders and SP president Akhilesh Yadav rode bicycles as a part of the celebration’s campaigns.
Earlier than this, the longest ‘Desh Bachao, Desh Banao’ bicycle rally spanned 27 days overlaying a distance of 1,500 km – from Ghazipur in japanese UP to New Delhi – in 2018-19 within the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“This time, we intention to cowl a distance of over 25,000km in two phases –spanning all of the 80 Lok Sabha and 403 meeting constituencies within the state. The primary section that started on August 9, will finish on Netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav’s delivery anniversary in his ancestral village-Saifai (Etawah) on November 22. The second section will begin on Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s dying anniversary on December 6 and can tentatively finish on Republic Day (January 26) at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi,” mentioned Abhishek Yadav, president of Samajwadi Party Lohia Vahini – the youth wing of the SP. Abhishek is main the cycle rally.
Traversing by means of Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Chitrakoot, Banda, Fatehpur, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ambedkarnagar, and Faizabad, the rally comprising almost 100 cyclists is at present overlaying Basti.
The cyclists have a help automobile and an audio system automobile as a part of the entourage. The help automobile has some bicycle restore kits, a cycle mechanic, water, and refreshments whereas the audio-visual automobile is provided with audio system and a public deal with system to assist cyclists make speeches and play SP songs alongside the best way.
“As August Kranti Diwas is the day when freedom fighters had known as for the tip of the British rule in India, we launched the rally on the day as we demand the ouster of the BJP rule,” mentioned Abhishek.
SP’s youth leaders and staff are the principle riders, however in numerous Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha constituencies, celebration office-bearers and former legislators are additionally collaborating for some distances.
By a cordless mic linked to the audio automobile, Abhishek and different cyclists have additionally been addressing folks on the streets whereas pedalling their cycles. In some legs of the rally, ladies celebration staff additionally be part of the entourage.
The cyclists are speaking “concerning the ache persons are struggling because of oppression, injustice and terror of BJP rule and the issues confronted by PDA (Pichada, Dalit, Alpsankhyak), poor, farmers, ladies and so forth. and sensitise folks concerning the insurance policies and philosophies of the SP and inform them concerning the public welfare work performed by the earlier SP authorities. The cycle yatra can even marketing campaign for a caste census.”
Driving principally between 10am and 7pm, the cyclists are overlaying about 70 km a day. The celebration’s native items maintain meals and night time stays for the contingent.
