Samajwadi Party (SP) patron Mulayam Singh Yadav is said to have asked his loyalists to file nomination papers against the Congress in 105 seats. Mulayam’s son, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, had left those seats for his ally to contest in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Mulayam’s frustration is not limited to his failure to stop the SP from having a truck with the Congress, but many of his loyalists in the party were sidelined by Akhilesh after an intense family feud. Mulayam’s latest move means that the Congress will have to face rebel SP candidates in the remaining five phases, since nominations for the first two beginning February 11 is closed.
Mulayam’s threat comes a day after he expressed his unhappiness on the SP-Congress coalition. Mulayam had also said that he will not campaign for them and had lamented that many of his loyalists’ future was spoilt due to the alliance. Akhilesh, who has been giving restrained reactions on his father’s comment since the dispute between the two played out in the open, courteously rejected Mulayam’s stand on the new alliance to check the resurgent BJP in the state.
He expressed confidence over the chances of his father joining the campaign and said that if the coalition wins, Mulayam’s respect will go up by many notches. “If we win, it will be Mulayam Singh whose respect will increase the most,” Akhilesh said while addressing a rally in Etah.
Published 30 January 2017, 20:27 IST