Performing the balancing act amid festering family feud, Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday visited the offices of both SP headed by son Akhilesh Yadav and brother Shivpal Singh Yadav’s newly floated Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), leaving party workers confused over where his sympathies lay.

Coming barely a month after his second son Prateek Yadav’s wife Aparna openly expressing her support to uncle Shivpal Yadav, the SP patron’s visit to both offices compounded the confusion of workers in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“We have been left wondering with whom Netaji’s (Mulayam) sympathies are and which party to work for,” said a veteran party worker, requesting anonymity.

Mulayam Singh Yadav first reached the office of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) at 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, where he exchanged pleasantries with his brother, who even requested Mulayam to don the mantle of the new outfit’s president.

After staying there for over 30 minutes, the veteran samajwadi leader drove down to the nearby SP headquarters and briefly addressed party workers on how to win the next Lok Sabha election.

“We have formed the party with the blessings of Netaji. I have offered the party president’s post to Netaji and a ticket to contest LS election from Mainpuri seat. Our party will carry forward Ram Manohar Lohia’s ideology,” Shivpal said.

At the office of PSP (Lohia), enthusiastic party workers garlanded Mulayam Singh Yadav, who, however, remained non-committal to Shivpal’s public offer of the presidentship of his party.

Mulayam was also offered the new party’s flag by Shivpal and both posed before waiting media photographers. 

The SP workers’ confusion manifested last month when Prateek Yadav’s wife Aparna participated at a function organised by Shivpal Yadav, where she expressed her support for him. Aparna also promised to work towards strengthening the PSP (Lohia).

Earlier too, Mulayam Singh Yadav had made an appearance at a function alongside brother Shivpal after the latter launched his new outfit. The event was organised to mark the death anniversary of party ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia. Then Mulayam had refrained from taking questions from the media, but Shivpal had expressed happiness at the presence of his elder brother.

In August, Shivpal had launched the Samajwadi Secular Morcha after expressing his disappointment with the Samajwadi Party leadership.