State scan: Shivpal Singh Yadav queers SP pitch before 2019 Lok Sabha poll

Shivpal Singh Yadav's departure is expected to spur more senior Samajwadi Party leaders gravitating towards his Samajwadi Secular Morcha

Diagonally opposite to the Samajwadi Party (SP) headquarters in Vikramaditya Marg, Lucknow, stand freshly erected hoardings carrying the image of party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. The red-hued hoardings display comparatively large images of his younger brother, Shivpal Singh Yadav, and Shivpal’s son Aditya Yadav.
 
These large cutouts, however, do not hail the socialist outfit or its election symbol, the bicycle, but the newly floated Samajwadi Secular Morcha (SSM), which Shivpal had announced last month after quitting the SP although he has not yet resigned from the party.
 
The war between Shivpal and his nephew, Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam’s son, came out into the open before hitting the streets of Lucknow in 2016, when the acrimony resulted in slogan shouting and clashes between their supporters in the final months of SP rule (2012-17). When Akhilesh, after taking over as SP president, had stripped Shivpal of all posts in the party, Mulayam managed to broker an “uneasy” peace between the two.
 
Now, even as all parties are gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls, Shivpal’s move puts a spanner in Akhilesh’s plans.
 
The development occurs when Akhilesh and his supporters are taking out “cycle yatras” to drum up support. While some party loyalists had expressed hopes that Mulayam would resolve the crisis once again before the poll bugle is sounded, optimism died after Shivpal’s emphatic statement that there was no looking back and he had taken the hard step after much consideration. The SSM would galvanise the support of all party leaders who have been purportedly neglected in the SP. The former SP president of the UP unit and former minister, who held several important portfolios, said his front would comprise smaller political outfits as well.
 
The SSM came as a rude shock to the SP, which has been seeking an alliance with its arch rival, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), in the Lok Sabha polls. It weakens the bargaining power of the SP vis-à-vis the BSP, which has been maintaining a stoic silence over the proposed alliance and instead favouring the Congress for a nation-wide pact covering other state elections too.
 
Shivpal’s departure is expected to spur more senior SP leaders gravitating towards the SSM, especially if they are denied the party ticket or if the party decides to skip contesting from their constituencies during the seat-sharing negotiations with the BSP and Congress.
 
Asim Waqar, who quit the SP in February 2017 when electioneering in UP was underway, said switching loyalties would be seen in all the parties as elections neared.
 
“The departure of Shivpal would certainly dent the SP. The fact is Akhilesh lacks experienced political advisors in the party,” he observed.

 
Shivpal has started holding party meets and appointing office-bearers. In his speeches, he refers to his contribution in building the SP at the grassroots without vested interests. Besides, he claims to have the blessings of Mulayam, who, according to him, was also not being given due respect.
 
Political commentator Govind Pant Raju said Shivpal was a grassroots leader and commanded loyalists in the SP. “His front would attract disgruntled leaders from all parties. Shivpal has chosen not to join the Congress or BJP although he received feelers from both parties.”

 
Last month SP Spokesperson Pankhudi Pathak quit the SP after levelling charges of favouritism and sexism in the socialist outfit under Akhilesh. Last year, one of most prominent SP spokespersons, Gaurav Bhatia, had quit the SP and joined the BJP.
 
With the SP keen on an understanding with the BSP, independent legislator from Pratapgarh Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya has distanced himself from the party leadership. He and his father were put behind bars during the Mayawati regime (2007-12). He was, otherwise, known to enjoy cordial relationships with both Mulayam and Akhilesh.
 
An SP leader conceded Shivpal’s sudden move had jolted the party in the run-up to the polls.