BJP plans to make Shivpal Oppn's 'spoiler'

In an apparent bid to counter the proposed 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) of the Samajwadi Party (SP), BSP and other Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh, BJP has set its eyes on SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav's sulking uncle and senior party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav.

Shivpal, who fell out with Akhilesh a few months before the 2017 Assembly polls in the state, has dropped hints that he may "charter a different course" if his "isolation" in the party continued.

"I will charter my own course if I am not given an important post in the party soon... I cannot wait indefinitely," Shivpal said on Sunday.

The rebel leader also heaped praise on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and called him an "honest" man doing a good job.

Shivpal's remarks assume significance in the wake of the recent decision by the state government to extend the deputation of Shivpal's son-in-law Ajai Yadav, an IAS officer currently posted in UP on deputation.

Shivpal recently met Adityanath and reportedly pleaded for his son in law. The Uttar Pradesh government sent the proposal for extension to the Centre within a couple of days of the meeting.

Interestingly, even as they stay SP leaders including Akhilesh, have stayed clear of Shivpal.

The BJP feels that Shivpal could prove to be a "spoiler" for the grand alliance if he forms his own outfit that puts up its own candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

"Shivpal will not join us... In fact, his joining the BJP may not be beneficial for us... but he will certainly make a dent in the SP's core vote bank if he forms his own outfit," a senior state BJP leader here.

Akhilesh had, a few months before the 2017 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, sacked Shivpal both as a minister in his Cabinet and as the party's general secretary.

Akhilesh had later convened a meeting of the party's national executive and got him elected as its national president replacing his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.