Rattled by growing intra-party dissidence over Panchyat polls, the Samajwadi Party cracked the whip and expelled three leaders from the party. The leaders shown the door are Anand Bhadauria, Sunil Yadav and Subodh Yadav.
SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav announced the expulsion of the three leaders and orders were issued by the state SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. The expulsion was based on anti-party activities and indiscipline related to the polls of Chairman of district panchyats.
National SP general secretary, Ram Gopal Yadav ordered the expulsion of Anand Bhadauria and Sunil Yadav. A native of Unnao, Yadav is the former chief of party’s frontal outfit Samajwadi Party Chatra sabha while Bhadauria was the national chief of lohia Vahini. Bhaduria had also contested the 2014 parliament polsl from Dhaurhara segment in Sitapur and lakhimpur.
Meanwhile, Agriculture minister Pandit Singh and SP MlA, Rameshwar Yadav from Aliganj (Etah) were also warned for opposing the official candidate in their respective districts.
Earlier this week Akhilesh Yadav had expelled several leaders of Gorakhpur for opposing the official candidate. However, the party’s tough stand has hardly affected the open revolt against official candidates in several districts.
The SP has fielded Jyoti Rawat from Unnao and Seema Gupta from Sitapur for the panchyat elections and had to face stiff opposition from local rebel leaders. Yadav and Bhadauria had extended support to the rebel leaders.
Expulsion of Sunil Yadav has stunned the party ranks as he was a confidante of the Chief Minister since he took over as the state SP chief in June, 2009. He also played a key role during the 2012 Assembly polls campaign which led to his appointment as Advisor in the Animal husbandry and Dairy development ministry despite resistance from five-term MlA from Purwa (Unnao) Uday Raj Yadav and former MlA Deepak Kumar.
In Gonda, Agriculture minister Pandit Singh and former minister of state Yogesh Singh are on warpath. Yogesh Singh was dropped from the council of minister in October. The SP has fielded Singh’s wife Vijaya lakshmi as the party candidate which was being opposed by Pandit Singh as he wanted it for his wife or daughter-in -law.
The SP is also facing rebellion in Amroha as cabinet minister Mehbood Ali Khan is opposing the official candidate and wife of former MP, Chandrapal Singh. Earlier the party had given ticket to Khan’s wife but the candidate was changed following opposition from local leaders. In Bijnor the SP has fielded Neelan Paras, the wife of minister Manoj Paras and she is being opposed by the SP MlA from Bijnor Ruchi Veera. Similar infighting among SP leaders is prevailing in Jaunpur, Sitapur, Chanduli, Gorakhpur, Unnao and Gorakhpur.