LUCKNOW: Barely a day after Mulayam Singh Yadav, the once bellicose icon of socialist India, was
consigned to flames, politics seems to have emerged to redefine not only the familial ties in the first family of the Samajwadi Party but also in the arch-rival, the BJP.
At the centre of all this is the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat that has fallen vacant following the passing away of Mulayam. It is no secret that party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav has been keen to contest from the seat if an ailing Mulayam could give him permission. That ‘if’ is over. And that has given rise to speculation as to what could happen in the top SP family given the strained ties between Akhilesh and Shivpal. That’s where BJP’s wait-and-watch continues.
The foremost challenge for Akhilesh is to retain the seat and save his father’s pride before the big battle in 2024. Political observers believe the ruling BJP may extend support to Shivpal Yadav if he decides to test the waters in Mainpuri. “After Mulayam’s death, Shivpal could try his luck in the by-election,” says a senior BJP leader.
The BJP wants to send out a larger message to the Yadav belt across Etawah, Mainpuri, Auraiyya, Kannauj, Badaun, Firozabad and Farrukhabad. “The BJP decision will be known only after the central leadership has deliberated on it,” says the BJP leader. Political analysts cite the sympathy factor in favour of Akhilesh. After all, Mainpuri was a traditional bastion of the late SP icon. Mulayam won from Mainpuri five times in 1996, 2004, 2009 and 2014, 2019. Even Akhilesh’s choice of Karhal to contest the assembly polls was influenced by the same sentiment.
Analysts say Akhilesh now has a huge political legacy of his father, which he has to take forward and develop ties across the political spectrum. Akhilesh is faced with the rising ambition of the BJP to win all 80 Lok Sabha seats, breaching the strongholds of Congress and the SP. The BJP’s recent poll record has been impressive in Azamgarh and Rampur. Therefore, analysts see interesting political manoeuvring taking place in the coming days.