Lucknow: All seems well with the Yadavs now. Two years after being sidelined in a bitter power struggle, Shivpal Yadav appears set to be back among the top brass of the Samajwadi Party.
According to party sources, Shivpal might soon be given the post of the party’s national general secretary. This reversal of fortunes comes after months of turmoil that saw Yadav lose the number 2 position in the party following a coup of sorts by nephew Akhilesh Yadav.
Akhilesh’s father and party patriarch had sided with brother Shivpal during the tug-of-war, even going to the extent of publicly opposing SP’s alliance with the Congress in Assembly elections. Shivpal, who is an MLA from Jaswantnagar, had not held a party position since then.
A senior SP leader told News18 that the thaw in ties has been in the making since October. “It’s quite clear now that Shivpal will soon be given a post in the party. This was being talked about since October when Akhilesh was re-elected as national president of the party in Agra. After the meeting between Shivpal and SP National General Secretary Ramgopal Yadav in Delhi last month, talks have gained momentum.”
A week before this meeting, party president and former CM Akhilesh Yadav had lauded Shivpal for not switching sides during Rajya Sabha and MLC elections. “Chacha Shivpal had voted for us in Rajya Sabha and MLC elections and did not switch sides to the BJP as speculated by some people. He will remain with us in the Samajwadi Party,” he had said.
The speculation was triggered by Shivpal’s vote for Ram Nath Kovind over opposition candidate Meira Kumar during Presidential elections last year.
Just before the Rajya Sabha Elections, Shivpal had also attended a dinner hosted for party MLAs and sat next to Akhilesh during the photo-call. Young MLCs perceived to be close to Akhilesh had even touched Shivpal’s feet while greeting him.
Last month’s win in Gorakhpur and Phulpur by-elections in alliance with Mayawati’s BSP helped cement this bonhomie.
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