This refers to the editorial, “Advantage Akhilesh” (January 3). With the political clock in Uttar Pradesh ticking fast, the ongoing internecine tussle eventually snowballed into a literal power division between the old guard and the new guard, wherein son Akhilesh Yadav's share outweighed father and party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's, even as senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's mediation came to no fruition, leaving him at a crossroads. On the face of it, the show of power between the warring factions, the Akhilesh-led group has an upper hand as over 200 MlAs and MPs have overtly supported him that has forced the rescission of the counter-convention called by the old guard.
However, this power flip-flop in the ruling party might have an adverse bearing on the party's image as well as its prospects in the ensuing Assembly poll, even as the party's flummoxed monolithic vote-bank has, in turn, lapsed into a floating state following the split in the party. The ball is now in the court of the Election Commission which may freeze the symbol, leaving both the factions on equal footing. Of course, there's a wave of bizarre excitement in the adversary quarters that are ready to fish in the troubled waters. let's wait and watch which way the cookie crumbles.