After a lull of two months the battle of supremacy within the first family of the Samajwadi party has surfaced again as the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav unilaterally submitted a list of 403 candidates for the next assembly elections to the party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday. Taking serious note of the action the chief ministers uncle and state SP president Shvipal Yadav promptly retaliated by dismissing Akhilesh Yadav as the chief minister face of the party for the 2017 assembly elections. ``As per the constitution of the party and the established practice the elected MlAs would elect their leader and Mulayam Singh Yadav is the supreme leader of the party and everybody abides by his decision’’, said Shivpal Yadav.
It was a departure from his earlier stand where Shivpal Yadav had consistently maintained that Akhilesh Yadav will be the chief minister face of the party and after the 2017 assembly election he will himself propose the name for the office of the chief minister in the meeting of newly elected MlAs after the assembly elections. SP sources are linking the change in the stand of Shivpal Yadav with his long meeting with the party general secretary here on Saturday. Akhilesh Yadav has already termed Amar Singh as an `outsider’. Shivpal Yadav expressed his displeasure over the move of Akhilesh Yadav through social media and tweeted in Hindi that `indiscipline will not be tolerated by the party’’. In another tweet he said `` so far tickets for 175 assembly seats have been announced and rest of the tickets would be given depending on a candidate’s potential to win the election’’. Shivpal also said `` who will get the ticket and who will be denied will be decided by the party organisation and the senior leaders of the party and Mulayam Singh Yadav will decide about the alliance with other parties’’. SP sources said the remaining candidates are likely to be announced within this week.
What has intrigued the Samajwadi party , sources said ``even as Akhilesh Yadav is a staunch advocate of the alliance with the Congress and has repeatedly asserted that the alliance could win over 300 seats in UP elections , he has finalised the candidates for all the 403 seats in UP assembly’’.
Chief Minister on December 23 and 24 had convened the meeting of his supporters MlAs at his official residence. Over 100 MlAs first term MlAs had participated. Akhilesh Yadav assuring the MlAs about the ticket had asked them to go to their respective assembly constituencies and work for the election. SP sources said it was a show of strength by the chief minister and he had staged similar show on October 23, by convening the meeting of the SP legislature party at his official residence. Akhilesh Yadav was removed from the post of state president in September. Since then he had consistently maintained that he should have a role in the ticket distribution as the party will go to the polls under his face and highlight the achievements of his five year government.
Samawjadi party sources said with the chief minister submitting his list of candidates. the ball is now in the Mulayam Singh Yadav’s court. Mulayam Singh Yadav as part of the truce formula had suggested that both Shivpal and Akhilesh Yadav will decide the candidates and he will take the final call. SP sources said `` time is running out for the party and the party will have to find a middle path without any further loss of time otherwise there may be parallel candidates in fray one official and other of Akhilesh Yadav.
This is not the first time that Akhilesh and his uncle have clashed over tickets distribution. Akhilesh had expressed his opposition to fielding candidates with tainted background like Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Sibaqtullah Ansari and Afzal Ansari. The Ansari brothers belong to Quami Ekta Dal, which recently merged with the party despite opposition from Akhilesh. CM had also opposed ticket to the Aman Mani Tripathi, presently in jail on the charges of murdering his wife. He is the son of mafia don Amar mani Tripathi, also in jail and convicted in Madhumita murder case.
Meanwhile Shivpal Yadav said here on Monday that there is no dispute within the party over ticket distribution and the media has blown the issue out of proportion. He said all the stake holders will be consulted in the process of selection of candidates.