Shivpal Yadav, the estranged uncle of the Samajwadi party president Akhilesh Yadav, will celebrate his 63 birthday on Monday as ‘Satat Sangharsh Diwas’ (relentless struggle day). His birthday coincides with Basant panchmi. Shivpal Yadav, effectively marginalised in the party by his nephew will also release an e-book on the occasion. The book is about the political profile of Shivpal Yadav and saga of his political life along with photographs. Photos of the former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav are conspicuous by absence.
Speculations are rife that Shivpal Yadav is likely to announce his next political move today. Sources indicated that since Basant Panchmi is considered an auspicious day to make a new beginning, Shivpal may choose that day for making the announcement today. large scale preparations are being made at Vrindavan Garden of Etawah city for the birthday celebrations and it appears that the event may have political significance for the state.
“A leader of the political stature of Shivpal Yadav who nurtured the Samajwadi party and made it a principal political force in Uttar Pradesh cannot live in a State of limbo for an indefinite period. He has to decide on his future course of action soon as time is running out’’, said Deepak Mishra, a close aide of Shivpal Yadav, former cabinet minister.
An impression of thaw in relation of Uncle and nephew was created in October last after the election of Akhilesh Yadav as the party president in Agra.
However there is no material change at the ground level and the deadlock continues and Akhilesh Yadav has conveyed to his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, that uncle cannot be accommodated in the party.
Contrary to the popular perception that the SP lost the 2017 State assembly elections as the party president and the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Samajwadi was no match to the stature of the prime minister Narendra Modi—Akhilesh Yadav squarely blames the family feud and the sabotage by his uncle Shivpal Yadav as the major cause for the worst ever defeat of the party in assembly elections denying his the opportunity to rule the state for the second consecutive term.
Soon after the elevation of Akhilesh Yadav as party president in January 2017, Shivpal Yadav had announced that he would float his own political party by April 2017. He however kept extending the deadline and so far the claim is yet to be materalised. Presently speculations are rife that he is likely to join hands with the Congress. Shivpal Yadav has a stock reply to all speculations that “I will go by the direction of Netaje (Mulayam Singh Yadav)’’.
A SP leader said “2010 lok Sabha elections are hardly an year away and there is no let up in the war of attrition between Akhilesh and his uncle and the war has infect intensified and Shivpal Yadav is left with no option but to act and act decisively’’. The SP leader said that “after remaining dormant in politics for last 10 months after the state assembly elections Shivpal has been making preparations for his next political move and that will certainly affect the existing political equations in the state’’. He added that the supporters of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal have suddenly become active and can be again seen reaching out to their old supporters.
Samajwadi Party sources said Shivpal Yadav may go against the wishes of his brother Mulayam Singh Yadav and may float new political party. Sources said Mulayam Singh would never like the birth of another Samajwadi Party that may one day compete with his son Akhilesh Yadav’s claim to UP’s throne.
A former Minister and supporter of Shivpal Yadav said “by the end of 2018, there will be a lot of upheavals in the state’s politics as it’s a very important year for Uttar Pradesh when the BJP Government will be seen pulling all stops to win maximum number of lok Sabha seats from the State’’. He added “ the BJP would do make all possible moves to ensure the reelection of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister in 2019 and the ruling party will resort to old tactics of breaking parties by winning leaders from other political parties and weakening the opposition even before the electoral campaign begins’’.