The ruling Samajwadi Party and the principal opposition Bahujan Samaj Party are daggers drawn in state politics. The schism ends when it comes to fielding the candidates for the lucrative posts the Panchayat elections. For both the regional parties the panchayat elections are grand family affair leaving little political space for the committed cadres of the party at the grassroots level to grow.
In 2010 panchayat elections during the BSP rule, the relatives and blood relation of the BSP leaders dominated the panchayat elections. Five years later for the ruling Samajwadi Party, the Panchayat elections are just a grand family affairs. The elections are more like RsRelative and associate wing’ (RAW) for the ruling party as wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, cousins, in-laws of nearly a dozen leaders of the ruling Samajwadi Party are in the fray for the elections beginning 9 October. For many in the ruling party, winning the panchayat elections will be a stepping stone for the next big office—the state assembly polls in 2017.
Close relatives and blood relations of nearly a dozen ministers are fighting Panchayat polls. The Aunt of the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his cousin in Etawah are in the fray. The minister of state from Shjahanpur Rammurti Verma, facing charges of murder of a journalist has fielded his daughter-in-law. For the political analysts, it’s an attempt by the ruling party to control the political offices at the grassroots level to reap the obvious benefit during the assembly elections in 2017 and also control the funds for the development at the village level as panchayats after 73rdconstitution amendment have emerged as the key institution for the public expenditure in rural areas.
The prominent ministers whose relatives are in the fray include Secondary Education Minister Mehboob Ali whose wife Sakina Begum, son Pervez Ali, nephew Nawazish Ali and sister-in-law Fatima Ali are in the fray for the post of member district panchayat in his hometown Amroha. Horticulture Minister Parasnath Yadav's wife Hirawati, sons Om and Ved and daughter-in-law Pappi are contesting in Jaunpur. Transport Minister Durga Prasad Yadav's nephew Pramod is in the fray in Azamgarh. Animal Husbandry Minister Raj Kishore Singh's son Devendra Pratap wants to get into the Zila Panchayat of Basti. Panchayati Raj Minister Kailash Yadav's son Virendra is contesting for the member district panchayat Ghazipur. labour Minister Shahid Manzoor's son Nawazish is in the fray in Meerut.
Rural development Minister Arvind Singh Gope has fielded his elder brother Ashok Kumar Singh in Barabanki. Diary Development Minister Rammurti Verma, who is accused of murdering journalist Jagendra Singh, has fielded his daughter-in-law Archana Verma in Shahjahanpur.Minister of state for Health, Nitin Agarwal's uncle Mukesh Agarwal is in the fray in Hardoi. His father Naresh Agarwal is the senior leader of the SP and member Rajya Sabha. Science and Technology Minister Manoj Pandey has fielded his brother-in-law Ashish Tiwari and sister-in-law Neelam in Rae Bareli.
labour minister Shahid Manzoor however defends fielding his son and denies that the family members of the party leaders are blocking the avenues for the party cadres and district level leaders. RsRsOut of the 34 wards or seats of member district panchayat my son is one of the candidate and relatives of few other leaders rest of the seats are for the common workers of the party’’, said Shahid Manzoor.
RsRsThe regional parties are based on a local issue or caste based controlled by a family of particular caste while the national parties by the very fact that they are national parties have to go by some system, some time by compulsion and sometime by volition. National parties have to be structured; they will have to follow some rules –thus far and no further. For the regional parties there is no compulsion , they have to depend on caste and the family so we find the elections to local bodies are a family affair in both SP and the BSP’’, said Porf Ahsutosh Mishra, who teaches political science ion lucknow university.