LUCKNOW: After Election Commission’s Monday verdict installing UP CM Akhilesh Yadav as SP’s national party, things are fast returning to normal. Akhilesh’s sulking uncle Shivpal Yadav, who was the CM’s main rival in the intra-family feud and who was showing his reluctance to contest elections, finally agreed to contest from his traditional Jaswantnagar seat.
On the other hand, Shivpal’s son Aditya on Wednesday tweeted for unity in the party. Shivpal’s name was added to the list of 45 candidates handed over by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav to Akhilesh Yadav who is finalising the party candidates in consultation with party general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav for the polls.
Initially, Shivpal’s name was missing in the list of Mulayam’s 45 candidates sent to Akhilesh for consideration.
Instead, his (Shivpal) son Aditya Yadav’s name was recommended from Jaswatnagar constituency. As per reports, Shivpal was not interested in contesting as he was looking towards a role for himself in national politics.
But later, elder brother Mulayam prevailed over him and revised his list to include Shivpal from Jaswantnagar striking out Aditya’s name on late Tuesday night. Shivpal has been representing Jaswantnagar in state Assembly since 1996.
“I will contest elections,” said the beleaguered ex-state chief of SP while talking to media persons on Wednesday morning. Shivpal was removed from the post of party’s state unit chief at the national convention which anointed Akhilesh SP’s national president and Mulayam party patron on January 1. Later, Akhilesh appointed veteran Samajwadi Naresh Uttam as SP state unit chief.
According to sources, Mulayam, on late Tuesday night, indicated that he would neither field his men against Akhilesh’s candidates nor would launch a new party if his son accommodated the names suggested by him in final SP list for the UP elections.
Meanwhile, Shivpal’s son Aditya Yadav came out in Akhilesh’s support through a tweet, whereby, he made an appeal for party’s unity and also posted pictures of his father along with Mulayam and CM Akhilesh.