Just ahead of his July 1 birthday, posters proclaiming Akhilesh Yadav as the “future Prime Minister” of India have emerged outside the Samajwadi Party’s Lucknow office. These posters, featuring the Kannauj MP, highlight the party’s significant moment following its successful performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
The visuals, shared by ANI, showcase the large poster, which party members installed to celebrate their leader’s birthday and their electoral accomplishments. The Samajwadi Party secured an impressive 37 out of 80 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh. Their ally, the Congress, won six seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed 33 seats. The remaining seats were divided among BJP’s partners, with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) winning two and the Apna Dal (S) securing one. Akhilesh Yadav himself achieved a substantial victory from Kannauj with a margin of 1,70,922 votes.
Adding to the political fervor, SP leader Awadhesh Prasad achieved a notable win in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in Ayodhya district by defeating BJP’s two-time MP, Lallu Singh. This victory further fueled the party’s optimism and celebratory mood.
This is not an isolated incident of such posters appearing. In October 2023, similar posters were seen outside the SP office in Lucknow, put up by party spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan ‘Chaand’. When queried about the posters, Hasan mentioned that although Akhilesh Yadav’s birthday is on July 1, the party workers often celebrate his birthday multiple times to express their admiration and respect.
This trend of poster campaigns is not new. Before the 2019 general elections, similar posters with slogans like “We trust Akhilesh to lead the state and the nation, the country needs a new PM” appeared across various locations, reflecting the long-standing aspiration of his supporters. As the Samajwadi Party continues to build its momentum, these posters signal a growing desire among its members and supporters to see Akhilesh Yadav take on a larger national role.