Just a few weeks after it appeared that power struggle in Samajwadi Party (SP) has been sorted out until Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2017, party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and son Akhilesh Yadav landed on the war path again on Wednesday.
In the last few days, speculations were rife that SP was in talks with Congress party for a pre-poll alliance and Akhilesh was in favour of the pact. However, in an apparent snub to Akhilesh, Mulayam junked all alliance speculations on Wednesday and announced that SP would go solo in the poll. The SP patriarch also declared names of the candidates for 325 of the 403 Assembly seats in UP in the absence of his son, who is also the Chief Minister of the state.
At the time of announcement on Wednesday, Akhilesh was touring Bundelkhand and reports said he was upset with father Mulayam, who declared the candidates in the presence of his brother Shivpal Yadav. Akhilesh didn’t react immediately but said he would talk to his father about the decision.
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The suddenness of Mulayam’s decision to announce candidates in the absence of Akhilesh sent clear signals that power struggle in SP family was far from over. Not only this, Mulayam also ignored several names to which Akhilesh had raised objections. These included Sigbatullah Ansari, brother of jailed gangster Mukhtar Ansari, and Atiq Ahmed who faces over 40 criminal cases including of murder. The list also didn’t include several pro-Akhilesh SP leaders and ministers such as Ram Govind Chaudhary, Pawan Pandey and Arvind Singh Gope.
Snubbed by father, Akhilesh retaliated in the night on Wednesday by sacking Sandeep and Surabhi Shukla, who are known as Shivpal loyalists, from key positions in state corporations. CNN-News18 reported today that Akhilesh may tell candidates, who were denied tickets by Mulayam-Shivpal, to fight as rebel candidates in the upcoming polls.
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The SP family feud for power has been continuing for around six months. Akhilesh and Mulayam-Shivpal duo have been conflicting over who would have more say in the party. In November, the feuding family members appeared to have reached a hard-fought compromise. But the renewed fight doesn’t augur well for SP.
Junking of alliance proposal by Mulayam has also dashed hopes of the Congress. With Mayawati almost cornered after ED raids on BSP and her brother’s bank accounts, the BJP may end up laughing all the way.
(With agency inputs)