Ahead of LS polls, Samajwadi Party to open office in MP's Khajuraho for Bundelkhand, Vindhya regions

Bhopal: Ahead of the next year's Lok Sabha elections, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has decided to open its office at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh to strengthen the outfit in Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions of the state, a party office-bearer said.

The Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions are located along the borders of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

In order to set up this office, the SP has purchased 6,500 square feet of land at Khajuraho, a world famous tourist destination known for its temple sculptures, in Chhatarpur district of the state, the office-bearer said.

The SP already has its state headquarter office in Bhopal.

Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh were held in a single phase on November 17 and votes will be counted on Sunday.

Amid the acrimonious exchanges with the Congress over contesting the assembly polls as part of the INDIA bloc, the SP fielded 68 candidates in the state.

Talking to PTI, SP's national spokesman Yash Bhartiya said the party workers have been demanding that the party should actively participate in Rewa, Satna, Tikamgarh, Khajuraho, Bhind and Morena Lok Sabha seats.

'There has been a demand from party workers in Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions to set up an office here. Since Khajuraho is at the centre and is well connected by air, railway and road to all parts of this region, the office is being opened here,' he said.

The SP will actively take part in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh and a message has been given to the party workers by purchasing this land, Bhartiya said.

A part of this 6,500 square feet of land was already registered in the name of the party, he said.

In 2018, the SP had won Bijawar seat in Chhatarpur district, but its MLA Rajesh Shukla later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Shukla is contesting on the BJP ticket this time.

The SP and Congress were engaged in bitter exchanges of words during the Madhya Pradesh election after the grand old party announced to go solo and refused to share seats with the Akhilesh Yadav-led party. Both parties are members of the opposition INDIA bloc, but the Congress leaders said that this alliance is only meant for the Lok Sabha polls.