Despite the Congress’ announcement to field candidates against the Yadav clan in the next lok Sabha election, the Samajwadi Party seems to be in no hurry to reverse its decision not to field candidates against Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi. “We are yet to decide whether to field candidates against Soniaji and Rahul, Samajwadi Party general secretary and Rajya Sabha member.
Ramgopal Yadav said. “We are not very keen on fielding candidates against them,” he told ‘The Pioneer’ on Wednesday.There was sudden political consternation after UPCC president Nirmal Khatri said that party workers were keen to field candidates against the Yadav clan, including Mulayam Singh Yadav and his daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav. The party workers made this demand in presence of
Congress in-charge of UP affairs, Madhusudan Mistri, who is touring the state. Ramgopal Yadav was very candid in his reaction: “The Congress is a national party. It should field candidates in from the parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. It is up to them to decide what to do. We know what we will do. If the SP fields a candidate in Rae Bareli against Soniaji, she may still pull through. But what will happen to Rahul Gandhi in AmethiIJ He is on a sticky wicket.
”The Samajwadi Party has so far declared the names of 76 out of the 80 candidates. It is yet to decide candidates for Amethi, Rae Bareli,Rampur and Misrikh. Another senior party leader, Ram Asrey Kushwaha, said what Nirmal Khatri said in the press conference was probably his personal view “The Congress cannot dent the SP citadel in Mainpuri and Kannauj. But what will happen if the SP fields candidates in Rae Bareli and AmethiIJ
The SP has won all but one Assembly seats in Rae Bareli. In Amethi too
the SP has won four out of five seats. The Congress does not have a single legislator in these two parliamentary constituencies (Mainpuri and Kannauj). When the SP is comfortably placed in Rae Bareli and Amethi. The Congress should pray that Mulayam Singhji does not field candidates in these two constituencies,” he added.The arguments put forth by these leaders may be a political rhetoric
but the fact is that the Samajwadi Party decision was made with an eye on the post-poll scenario in 2014. There is every possibility of a third front forming the government with Congress support like theUnited Front experiment of 1996.
The Congress leaders are well aware of this political predicament, therefore senior Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh said: “The final decision on candidates will be taken by the party high command.If the high command wants, the Congress will field candidates against Yadavs.”By keeping the door ajar for Sonia and Rahul and allowing them a free run in the election, the Samajwadi Party wants to keep them happy.“Rae Bareli and Amethi are not a big issue for us. We are targeting to win at least 60 seats. And if we can do that, Delhi will be ours,”said Kushwaha.