Samajwadi Party is set to revive talks of merger of Qaumi Ekta Dal within the partyfold. Earlier in June, the merger of QED with the SP was abrogated by the party due to vehement opposition by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
last time the deal was brokered by senior leader Shivpal Yadav on the direction of his elder brother and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav with senior minister Balram Yadav playingthe interlocutor.
Party sources said that in view of the aborted Juen bid, SP chief will himself lead the process and an announcement to this effect will be made by him.
“This time too, as in June, Mokhtar Ansari will not join the SP after the merger. QED chief Afzal Ansari and his brother Sibgatullah Ansari (a sitting MlA from Mohammadi in Ghazipur) will contest the 2017 Assembly polls as SP candidates.
Minister of state for Health and Family welfare Ravidas Mehrotra said in lucknow on Tuesday, “The party is yet to make an official announcement about the merger of QED in the SP. Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav would take a call on the issue soon and almost all SP leaders are in favour of the merger.’’
The differences between Shivpal Singh Yadav and his nephew Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav surfaced over the merger of QED in June. The CM was of the opinion that the merger would only bring a bad name to the party and favoured going to the 2017 polls on the issue of development.