Akhilesh Yadav’s cycle win more than symbolic
Now that the Election Commission of India has awarded the ‘cycle' symbol to the Akhilesh Yadav camp, the ambiguity over who the real boss of the Samajwadi Party is, has ended. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav may have magnanimously announced that the party would contest the coming Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh under Mulayam Singh Yadav's leadership, but that is a mere courtesy extended to the Samajwadi Party founder and his father. Mulayam Singh Yadav should be under no illusion and accept that the Chief Minister is the party chief and that the latter’s writ would run in the run-up to the election, including in the selection of candidates and the appointment of people to key party positions. While both father and son continue to say that the party is united and that there has been no split, they are being selective with the truth. The Election Commission ruled that the faction led by Akhilesh Yadav had the majority support within the party; that it was the real Samajwadi Party; and that the party symbol should be allotted to the Chief Minister's group. Had the Samajwadi Party been united, the battle would not have reached the Election Commission's doorstep, nor would the Chief Minister have submitted documents to demonstrate the overwhelming backing he had within the party. While Mulayam Singh Yadav did not offer similar proof of support for his faction, it could be because he realised he did not have a case or that he did not want to be accused later on, of seeking a split in a party which he had founded and nurtured. Whatever the case may be, the bare fact is that Mulayam Singh Yadav has been reduced to a figurehead. Even that position remains in doubt, since it is possible that he and his group could well take on the Chief Minister's faction head-on in the electoral battle ahead.
It appears difficult to believe that, in the backdrop of the deep acrimony which has been generated over the last few weeks, father and son can work together so early on. Maybe they are willing to bury the hatchet, but it will not be easy for their respective key supporters to do so. They will have a lot of answering to do if they suddenly begin to work alongside as if nothing had happened since October last. Besides, the cadre will be confused and the voters will view the developments of the past as an instance of drama that both the factions had indulged in. Both these scenarios will result in a loss of credibility for both father and son. Having gone this far, the only way forward is to fight it out for now.
Mulayam Singh Yadav offered a hint of the tussle ahead, when he told a gathering that he would “live and die for Muslims” and would even “fight” with Akhilesh Yadav if it came to that, for the minority community's welfare. He accused the Chief Minister of having a “negative” approach towards the community. It's not that the party founder can win for sure with the support of Muslims; he wants to lure them in substantial numbers and split their votes so that the Akhilesh Yadav faction does not secure their full backing, and eventually loses the election. Mulayam Singh Yadav has already lost the battle for the party symbol. Will he now also lose the electoral fight against his sonIJ