Faced with intense infighting, the Samajwadi Party faces an uphill task in winning the polls for the Chairmen of district panchyats in several districts.
In most districts, the party had given tickets to kin of ministers and MlAs and now they are facing opposition from local leaders of the districts. In these districts, the ministers and party MlAs are involved in factional fight.
The State Election commission has already issued the schedule and polling will be held on January 7. The elected 3,112 members of the district panchyats will vote in the polls.
In Faizabad, the ruling party suspects sabotage as there are three factions within the party unit. Priyanka Yadav and Indu Yadav, both member of district panchyat and daughters-in-law of late MlA, Mitrasen Yadav are in the race for heading the district panchyat. However, Shweta Singh, wife of a contractor close to the cabinet minister Awadesh Prasad, was chosen ahead of them. Priyanka was denied ticket since the late Yadav’s son has been chosen as candidate for the Bikapur by elections.
In Sultanpur, the SP had chosen Prithvipal Yadav, the outgoing Chairman of district panchyat but later, it chose ShivKumar Singh over Yadav. The change has irked Yadav who has raised a banner of revolt against the party. The five SP MlAs in Sultanpur are divided and are backing different candidates.
A SP leader from Sultanpur said that out of 46 members of the district panchyats only 6-7 are committed party cadres while the BJP has 14 members and is giving a tough fight to the SP. The BJP has fielded mafia-turned politician Yashbhadra Singh alias Monu as candidate.
In Saharanpur the SP has refrained from announcing its candidate. Out of the 49 members of district panchyat, the BSP has won 26. SP is likely to back independent candidate Shivraj there. The three leaders of the party Sahab Singh Saini, former Union minister Rashid Masood and district chief Jagpal Das are not on the same page over supporting the candidate in question.
Several SP leaders, ministers and MlAs are lobbying for change of candidate in respective districts which the party has done incertain districts. This is proving to be counterproductive as it is only promoting intra-party bickering.
For damage control the party has drafted ministers and senior leaders in several districts. Minister for Animal Husbandry, Raj Kishore Singh has been asked to be in Gorakhpur till the polls on January 7 where some dissenting SP leaders are supporting BJP’s Ajay Bahadur Yadav instead of SP candidate Geetanjali Yadav.
Reports of infighting threatening the official candidate’s prospects have surfaced from Bijnor, Shamli, Sitapur, Amroha, Unnao, Mau, Jaunpur, Sonebhadra and several Bundelkhand districts.
SP spokesman Rajendra Choudhary however said, “The SP is a big party and like a family. There may be problems in few districts but all issues will be sorted out before the January 7 polls.’’