Speculation over Akhilesh-Shivpal Yadav rift

Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, March 31

Buzz around another potential break up between Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav is growing with differences between the two out in the open since the Uttar Pradesh election loss of the opposition alliance to the ruling BJP.

The speculation that Shivpal, president of the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP), could join the BJP has been rife since Wednesday, when he meet UP CM Yogi Adityanath. PSP spokesperson fuelled the fire on Thursday, saying party leaders met to discuss the changing political situation in the country and told Shivpal they would back whatever he decided. Shivpal, in turn, told his colleagues he would take them into confidence over the next move.

“Shivpal assured party workers that they will be taken into confidence before taking any decision,” Mishra said today. Shivpal is learnt to be miffed with Akhilesh for not inviting him for the meeting of newly elected SP MLAs on March 26. Akhilesh, however, reportedly reminded his uncle that he was an SP ally, not an SP member.

First split in 2016

• The Yadav family had first split in 2016, marring SP’s electoral prospects in the 2017 state elections, which the BJP won with a historic mandate of 312 seats in a 403-member Assembly
• The family split hurt the SP so much that the BJP bagged three seats in Samajwadi home turf of Etawah, two in Kannauj and one in SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav’s backyard Mainpuri