Will Shivpal Singh return to Samajwadi Party as Akhilesh puts step forward?

By Harish Tiwari  |  First Published Mar 27, 2020, 4:30 PM IST

Shivpal is known for his organisational skills, and when he was in Samajwadi Party, it performed well in the elections. But after he left SP, the party has lost in Uttar Pradesh and it has been ousted from power.

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Singh are likely to come under one roof before the forthcoming Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh in 2022.

This was visible through a recent development when SP sent a letter to the UP Assembly Speaker to withdraw its previous letter asking for the cancellation of Shivpal Yadav’s membership from the state Assembly. So, it was assumed that sooner or later Shivpal could be a part of the Yadav family-run party.

Ram Govind Choudhary, the leader of the opposition and SP leader in the Assembly, wrote a letter to the Assembly Speaker seeking withdrawal of his earlier letter, in which the party had sought the cancellation of Shivpal Singh Yadav’s primary membership from the Assembly. Despite all the family drama and the ouster from the party, Shivpal still enjoys party membership in the Assembly.

Shivpal Singh Yadav won the Assembly election in 2017 from Jaswantnagar on a SP ticket.

Meanwhile, Shivpal had floated the Pragtisheel Samajwadi Party last year after disputes with Akhilesh Yadav, but he did not forgo his Assembly membership.

A couple of days ago, a SP national executive meet was held in Lucknow where Akhilesh Yadav upheld the decision of maintaining Shivpal Yadav’s membership in state Assembly. Earlier, both the leaders were seen together at a Holi function in Yadav bastion Safai, in Etawah district, where party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav shared the dais with Mulayam Singh Yadav and other family members. The presence of these two leaders has stirred the pot of state politics. However, it's clearly visible that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is keen to continue his political career with Shivpal Singh.

Both leaders shared the stage for the first time after the split in the Yadav Family in 2017. Shivpal Singh Yadav also signalled that he could come together with Akhilesh Yadav in the forthcoming Assembly elections. He clearly said SP and PSP will fight together against the ruling BJP but he, however, stated that he won't merge his party with the SP.

But Akhilesh Yadav wants a merger of the PSP with the SP, that’s why Akhilesh Yadav has not expelled Shivpal from the Samajwadi Party. However, before the election, the SP had already sent a letter to the Assembly Speaker to cancel the membership of Shivpal Singh.

PSP had dented the SP ship in the last general election and the SP shrunk to a mere five seats in the state. SP lost the Assembly election in 2017 and came down from power under Akhilesh Yadav’s leadership.

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