LUCKNOW: The bonhomie between Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav, who owns Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSPL), is there for everyone to watch and feel as both can be seen sharing each and every frame during the party's ongoing by-poll campaign in Mainpuri.
Shivpal figures prominently among 40 star campaigners of SP seeking votes for Mainpuri SP candidate Dimple Yadav who has been fielded by the party to take over the legacy of Mulayam Singh Yadav whose demise necessitated the by-poll in the parliamentary segment.
Victory in Mainpuri, a traditional Mulayam bastion since 1996, is associated with the pride of SP. The stakes of the party are high as the ruling BJP is also making efforts to grab the seat by fielding Shivpal’s close aide Raghuraj Shakya.
BJP has already shocked SP by snatching away Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats at bypoll in June, this year.
Even Akhilesh has gone out of his way to fortify his battle by reaching out to estranged uncle Shivpal knowing well his significance in Mainpuri after Mulayam Singh Yadav. In fact, Shivpal enjoys a respectable clout among Mulayam supporters who feel that Shivpal has been betrayed by Akhilesh.
However, political pundits and SP rivals are wondering if the new-found bonhomie between Akhilesh and Shivpal will survive the test of times.
“It will be clear after the Mainpuri bypoll if the two will go hand-in-hand into the UP civic polls and also into 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” says Prof AK Mishra, a prominent political scientist.
The bonhomie between Akhilesh and Shivpal assumes significance as both have been sharing an oblique relationship with each other since 2016. The differences rose to such an extent that Shivpal parted ways with SP and floated his own PSPL in 2018. He even contested 2019 Lok Sabha elections against SP and became a reason for the defeat of SP candidates in a lot of constituencies.
The political analysts see an uncanny resemblance in Akhilesh Shivpal ties at present and the alliance which they had struck in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls in UP. However, Akhilesh has struck that alliance with SHivpal on his own terms sparing just one seat for him and compelling him to contest from Jaswantnagar on SP symbol.
Later, after the results, the ties between the two ended on a bitter note when Shivpal accused Akhilesh of ignoring him.
At present, the SP chief also realises the significance of putting up a united face of the family to ensure the victory of Dimple Yadav.
“The longevity of ties between Akhilesh and Shivpal will depend on the victory of Dimple. If she wins, the ties will remain intact, otherwise they may go sour again,” says Prof Mishra.
On the other, SP insiders believe that this time the equation will last. “We have understood BJP’s tactic and a solution to it has now been found,” said a senior SP leader adding that this was just the beginning and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls would see the ‘return of a united SP’ in a big way.
The BJP looks at the development as mere optics in wake of the by-poll and described the reconciliation between Akhilesh and Shivpal as “opportunistic” only for the Mainpuri elections. The BJP leadership feels that every time there is an election, Akhilesh remembers Shivpal and throws him away after accomplishing his mission.
Shivpal is also walking an extra mile to keep nephew in good humour. After joining the SP star campaigners, Shivpal has thrown his weight behind Dimple’s candidature calling upon the Mainpuri voters to ensure the victory of the eldest daughter -in-law of Yadav clan.
Recently, while sharing the stage with nephew during a public rally, when Akhilesh touched his feet, Shivpal took to twitter to put an emotional post saying he would never betray Akhilesh Yadav like he never betrayed ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav) whom he worked closely with and learnt the tricks of politics.
However, this warming up would be put to real test in upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024 when Shivpal would want his pound of flesh expecting Akhilesh to reciprocate by giving enough political space to him, his son Aditya and his loyalists who stood beside him in his lean days.