Embarrassed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s absence from the Samajwadi Party’s district presidents meeting and struggling to present a united front, SP State president Shivpal Yadav on Friday reiterated that Akhilesh would be the chief ministerial face of the SP and the party would fight the upcoming UP Assembly election under his leadership.
Addressing the marathon meeting, Shivpal said, “let there be no confusion on the leadership issue. Akhilesh is the chief ministerial face of the party. He will be the Chief Minister of UP if the party is voted back to power in 2017.”
After returning from Mahoba, Shivpal on Thursday evening had called on Akhilesh at his official residence to persuade him to attend Friday’s meeting but the CM made it clear that he had drawn his own plans for the elections.
However, Akhilesh did meet the district presidents of the party at his official residence and enquired about the political environment in their respective districts and the electoral prospects of the party.
All eyes are now fixed on whether Akhilesh attends the meeting of the State Executive of the party here on Saturday. The ruling party has also convened a meeting of MlAs, MlCs, ex-legislators, MPs and the candidates for the 2017 Assembly elections and other senior leaders here on October 24. SP sources said the CM is likely to skip all the meetings.
SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav was expected to attend the meeting but he too was conspicuous by his absence.
Seeking to downplay Akhilesh’s absence from the daylong meeting Shivpal said, “I had invited the Chief Minister to attend the meeting but as he was busy in some official work he could not attend’’. Shivpal did not utter a word about the “Samajwadi Vikas Rath Yatra” to be taken out by Akhilesh from November 3.
“If anybody has any doubts over my credentials and my statement then I am ready to step down from the post of the State president of the party. The party is united and there are no differences and all of you must devote your time and energy for the success of the 25th Foundation Day function in lucknow on November 5,” Shivpal said.
Shivpal said this to ressure the district and city leaders of the party as they complained that the recent infighting, coupled with the confusion on the chief ministerial face had caused immense damage to the electoral prospects of the SP.
Shivpal blamed the media for blowing the issue out of proportion and said that if there were some issues they would be resolved soon.
Similarly, seeking to downplay the bitter power struggle within the SP’s first family, Kironmoy Nanda, the national vice-president of the SP said that Akhilesh would attend the silver jubilee function of the party.
“There is no rift in the party and Mulayam Singh Yadav is the national president, Shivpal Yadav State president and Akhilesh Yadav CM face of the party. Chief Minister may also postpone his proposed yatra on November 3’’, Nanda said.