In an apparent setback to unity efforts in the Samajwadi Party’s first family, party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav and his younger brother Shivpal Yadav have found no place in party’s 55-member national executive council, headed by Alkhilesh Yadav. The SP announced the list of members of the national executive on Monday.
The SP national convention at Agra on October 5 had authorised party president Akhilesh to constitute the national executive.
There was speculation that Akhilesh will accommodate Shivpal in SP’s national executive as per reconciliation efforts made by his father Mulayam.
However, Shivpal on Monday claimed that there is no dispute in his family. “The family is united and there is no dispute. As per established tradition, the entire family will gather at Sefai in Etawah for Diwali and we will celebrate the festival together.”
“I wish the next Government in UP is led by Akhilesh. He is the undisputed leader of the party and I am confident that the party will cover new milestones under Akhilesh,” Shivpal added.
The new national executive has ten general secretaries and ten secretaries besides 25 executive members and six special invitee members.
SP Rajya Sabha member Kironmoy Nanda has been retained as the lone vice-president of the committee while Ram Gopal Yadav continues to be the secretary general. Treasurer Sanjay Seth too has been retained on the same post. The committee has only five women members.
Among the ten general secretaries, the party has retained Azam Khan, Naresh Agarwal and seven others with Indrajeet Saroj, who recently left the Bahujan Samaj party and joined the SP, as the new entrant. Prominent among the secretaries are Jo Antony of Kerala, Dr Madhu Gupta and SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary.
Among 25 executive members, former cine star and Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, leader of Opposition in UP Assembly Ram Govind Chaudhary, Abu Asim Azmi (Mumbai) and SP MlA Ujjawal Raman Singh’s names are prominent. Though most relatives of Akhilesh did not get any place in the national executive, except Ferozabad MP and Ram Gopal’s son Akshay Yadav, who has been made a special invitee member.