Akhilesh seeks to bury hatchet with Shivpal to save family bastion of Mainpuri

That Akhilesh managed to persuade Shivpal was clear when the latter made an emotional appeal in favour of Dimple

Apparently desperate after a series of debacles in the recent Lok Sabha bypolls in his party strongholds of Azamgarh and Rampur, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav sought to bury the hatchet with his estranged uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav to save the family bastion of Mainpuri where a bypoll is slated for December 5.

While Akhilesh's wife Dimple Yadav was the SP candidate from the seat which fell vacant after the death of Mulayam, the sitting MP from Mainpuri last month, the BJP has fielded Raghuraj Singh Shakya, a one-time protege of Shivpal.

Accompanied by Dimple, Akhilesh drove to Shivpal's residence at their native village of Saifai in the neighbouring Etawah district Thursday evening and reportedly sought his support for his wife.

Also Read | Akhilesh meets uncle Shivpal, Dimple Yadav ahead of Mainpuri bypoll

That Akhilesh managed to persuade Shivpal to support and canvas for Dimple was clear when the SP co-founder (Shivpal) made an emotional appeal to the electorate of Mainpuri to ensure victory for the SP nominee.

''A victory for Dimple will be the most befitting tribute to Netaji (Mulayam), who had nurtured this constituency and ensured its development,'' Shivpal said.

Speculations about differences within Mulayam's political clan gained grounds following Shivpal's absence when Dimple had filed her nomination papers a few days ago.

Interestingly, Shivpal was an MLA from Jaswant Nagar seat which formed part of the Mainpuri LS seat. In the 2019 LS polls, Mulayam secured a big lead over his BJP rival in the Jaswant Nagar constituency.

''Shivpal's support could prove crucial for Dimple. He could have damaged her prospects had he decided to oppose her or even remained neutral,'' remarked a senior SP leader while speaking to DH here.

Akhilesh's attempts to reach out to Shivpal were also aimed at countering the BJP's strategy to take advantage of the perceived rift within Mulayam's political clan. Mainpuri contest is a prestige battle for Akhilesh, especially after his party lost the Azamgarh LS seat vacated by himself to the BJP recently.