Chinks have appeared in the opposition unity as Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party president Om Prakash Rajbhar and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav attended the dinner hosted by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in honour of National Democratic Alliance presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu at his residence here on Friday.
Apart from Rajbhar and Shivpal, independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya also attended the dinner meeting.
When opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha came to Lucknow to seek votes, Akhilesh Yadav called Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary but did not call Om Prakash Rajbhar. After being sidelined, Rajbhar said that it appeared that Akhilesh Yadav no longer needed him.
AS the SP-SBSP alliance is on the brink of collapse, Rajbhar said that he would wait for divorce from Akhilesh's side and would not take the initiative to break the alliance from his side. But, by attending the chief minister’s dinner meeting, he has given a clear signal that he would prefer to side with the NDA in the presidential election.
Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav is also angry over the way he has been treated by his bhatija post-elections. He was looking for a role for himself in the SP after the election but was ignored.
As Rajbhar and Shivpal Yadav have decided to walk out of the SP-led alliance as far as this presidential election is concerned, it will be a blow for Akhilesh Yadav.
Earlier, in a meeting with MPs and MLAs of Bharatiya Janata Party and allies in Lucknow's Lok Bhawan, Yogi Adityanath, Union ministers Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, Smriti Irani, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, shared dias with NDA presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu.