LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday sacked the presidents of its 11 district units with immediate effect.
Uttar Pradesh SP chief Naresh Uttam issued a statement here, saying the presidents of the party's Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Jhansi, Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Mau, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bhadohi, Gonda and Lalitpur district units have been removed on the direction of party president Akhilesh Yadav.
Though the statement cited no reason for the move, reports reaching here from some districts said the party's nominees in many places did not turn up for filing their nomination papers for the post of zila panchayat chairman.
Yadav, however, alleged that many SP nominees were "prevented" from filing nomination papers.
"The way in which the BJP government has prevented the Samajwadi Party candidates from filing nominations for the election of panchayat chairperson in Gorakhpur and elsewhere, it is a new administrative tactic of the defeated BJP to win the election. The people will not even give as many seats in the Assembly to the BJP as they will make panchayat chiefs," he said in a tweet.
In Bhadohi, the party's nominee, Shyam Kumari Maurya, whose candidature was announced about a month ago, did not turn up for filing her nomination.
In Gorakhpur, SP candidate Jitendra Yadav was also not able to file his papers.
On Saturday, nominations were filed in all districts of the state for the post of zila panchayat chairman, and the polling will take place on July 3.