The bitter power struggle in the first family of the Samajwadi party is likely to ebb as the party president Akhilesh Yadav and his warring uncle Shivcal Yadav have decided to bury the hatchet. The women members of the family led by Dimple Yadav, Kannauj MP and wife of the party president are said to have played a key role in managing the reconciliation in the family. In past several days Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav had held several rounds of talks.
A senior Samajwadi party leader privy to the development in the first family of the party however said ``it’s not a permanent settlement, it would be better to sum it up as ceasefire’’. He added `` the Samajwadi party will take the plunge in 2019 lok Sabha elections as united house and Shivpal Yadav will neither float new political front or front or part company with the Samajwadi party’’.
The indications of possible reapproachment between the uncle and the nephew were visible on October 5 as Shivpal Yadav had tweeted blessing and congratulating Akhilesh Yadav on his election as the party president for the second time at the national convention in Agra on October 5. Akhilesh Yadav had invited his father Mulayam Singh Yadav to attend the national convention. Mulayam Singh had agreed to go to Agra but dropped the idea at the last moment after several hour long consultations with Shivpal Yadav on October 5.
Party sources said Shivpal Yadav was left with no option but to join hands with his nephew and accept him as the new `Sultan’ of the party. Ever since the feud of Uncle and nephew became a public affair in August 2016 Shivpal Yadav had been fighting a lost war. He hoped that his brother Mulayam Singh would come to his rescue but he maintained a very diplomatic stand which ultimately helped his son Akhilesh Yadav to strengthen his grip over the party.
SP sources said it’s yet to be decided about the status of Shvipal Yadav. `` Its not clear whether he will be rehabilitated as the national general secretary or given some role in state affairs of the party or some other role’’, said a SP leader. Ahead of the national convention of the Samajwadi party at Agra on Agra party’s patron Mulayam Singh Yadav had attempted to broker peace between his son and the younger brother and offered dignified rehabilitation of Shivpal Yadav as the national general secretary of the party.
Shivpal Yadav in January this year had announced to float new party after the state assembly elections which concluded in March last. After the elections in April he announced that he had floated a secular front to be headed by his elder brother Mulayam Singh Yadav. The SP patron however feigned his ignorance of any such idea. later Shvipal Yadav announced to float the secular front by the end of June which was later extended to October. None of the announcement materialized and he finally decided to cut a deal with his nephew.