With the vital third phase of the ongoing Uttar Pradesh polls scheduled on Sunday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his family are mounting a strong drive for power after reuniting.
As Uttar Pradesh votes this Sunday in the third phase of the marathon seven-phase polling and the high-pitch campaigns intensify in the state, the Yadav family has come together as one this strongly for the first time in five years. To realise their one-track goal of ousting the BJP from the state, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, his son Akhilesh Yadav and once-estranged brother Shivpal Yadav have joined forces to woo the voters of the state.
The newfound camaraderie among the three heavyweight Yadav leaders bears testimony to the fact that the battle for Uttar Pradesh has now transcended to a battle for credibility. This seems to have brought the Yadav men together, who are scrambling to reclaim the state, retain their bastions and reassert their rule in the state.
A plethora of refreshing visuals came in from the party’s road show in Etawah on Thursday. First, Mulayam Singh Yadav arrived with his once-estranged son Akhilesh Yadav. The army of supporters had gathered to welcome the Samajwadi Vijay Rath in Etawah’s and to catch a glimpse of their leaders.
As the rath meandered through the city streets, the Samajwadi patron was seen sitting inside with his son. Shivpal Singh Yadav, who had rebelled and quit the party to form his own when Akhilesh Yadav took over the reins of SP, soon joined them. The crowd was ecstatic and their cheers pierced the air.
Thursday’s developments are being seen by many as the Yadavs’pitch to grab back power in India’s most populous and high-stakes state. Not only was the warring duo – Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav -seen together on the stage – a first since Akhilesh took over the command of the party from his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav also appealed for votes for his son and rode with him in a massive demonstration of family power. The fissures in the Uncle-Nephew relationship were filled last year when the two officially joined forces to fight the BJP this election.
Thursday’s developments are being seen by many as the Yadavs’pitch to grab back power in India’s most populous and high-stakes state. Not only was the warring duo – Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav -seen together on the stage – a first since Akhilesh took over the command of the party from his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav also appealed for votes for his son and rode with him in a massive demonstration of family power. The fissures in the Uncle-Nephew relationship were filled last year when the two officially joined forces to fight the BJP this election.
Even as the Opposition continues to attack them over their unending family politics, the Yadavs are slowly and steadily aligning their equations; their all-out feud in 2017 had only cost them dearly with the party barely managing to grab 47 of the 403 seats in the state.
Five years since their abysmal performance, the family has come a long way. From setting aside their differences – with Shivpal Yadav agreeing to work alongside Akhilesh Yadav, to now Shivpal Yadav contesting the election from Jaswant Nagar as an ally.
Talking to India Today, Shivpal Yadav had said that he sacrificed his party to defeat the BJP and joined hands with Akhilesh for this. “All is well” is the message from the top three men of the party to the public even as the BJP harp on the rift, blaming Akhilesh Yadav for breaking up the family and forcefully taking over the party.
The party seems to be hoping to benefit from this solidarity not just in the coming phases of polling but also in the Yadavland, where the aim is to use the Shivpal-Mulayam combination to strengthen Akhilesh’s new Samajwadi Party. Akhilesh has been trying to portray that all is indeed well in the family and that he is the only challenger to the BJP this election.
The BJP on the other hand, has fielded Union Minister SP Singh Baghel in Karhal against Akhilesh to bag the non-Yadav votes. Talking to India Today, SP Singh Baghel had said that Akhilesh is aware of his impending defeat. Hence, he has been propping up his father as he goes appealing for votes. Baghel believes that the Yadav, Baghel, Shakya and other backward castes, allied with the BJP, could create concern for Akhilesh in his stronghold.
Political analyst Ratan Mani Lal believes that the way Mulayam Singh Yadav, his brother Shivpal and Akhilesh have come together to campaign for Akhilesh Yadav, certainly must be greatly gratifying for the patriarch who often speaks about the pain caused to him by the extremely public rift in the party and the family in 2017. To him, it doesn’t matter what caused it – Akhilesh Yadav’s ambition or other leaders’ conspiracy. Mulayam Yadav only wants the family to be one. For Akhilesh Yadav to justify the events of 2017, it was absolutely necessary to bring the family together this time.
