That SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is a sensitive, but determined person was evident on Friday when the ruling party decided to field Allahabad’s notorious mafia don Atiq Ahmed as the official candidate from Sultanpur parliamentary constituency for the 2014 polls.
Facing 44 criminal cases and twice-sacked from the party, Atiq Ahmed has replaced Shaqil Ahmed, who was earlier declared the SP candidate against sitting Congress MP Sanjay Singh.
Interestingly, Singh is reportedly gearing up to take on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi from Amethi on a BJP ticket.
The two recent decisions of the SP leadership have brought a black mark on the already-damaged image of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is accused of “running a party of criminals and crooks”.
First, the SP welcomed to its fold former BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, who is the main accused in the multi-crore NRHM scam, and also fielded his wife as the party candidate from Ghaziabad.
Later, the party committed the second blunder. It let mafia dons enter the fray on the SP ticket – first, Arun Shankar Shukla alias Anna from Unnao and now, Atiq Ahmed.
In 2012, when mafia don D P Yadav planned to join the SP and contest the Assembly polls, Akhilesh had publicly shown him the door, saying “there was no place for criminals and the corrupt in the party”, thereby heralding a new era.
Akhilesh’s charms and lofty promises to cleanse the SP gained him wide public acceptance and the party was voted to power with a historic mandate.
Now, as the 2014 parliamentary elections draw closer, the ruling party has realised that winning election on the government’s performance is impossible. So, it is shedding its past and taking to the course of real politicking to win maximum seats.
Apart from these, the party has chosen to field comedian Raju Srivastava from Kanpur, a decision which has annoyed even the locals who feel that party chief Mulayam has ‘made fun of them’ by fielding such a lightweight.
Among the 76 SP candidates already declared, nearly 30 have been replaced more than once. The frequent juggling of the candidates is attributed to the SP’s dilemma in finding suitable contesters.
Whether Mulayam’s dream of becoming the Prime Minister would be fulfilled with the candidacy of Atiq, Anna and Kushwahas is worth waiting for.