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Uttar Pradesh MLC polls: SP’s selection of candidates peeves allies
Mahan Dal decides to part ways with SP, others also unhappy; seven ministers among BJP’s nine candidates, Samajwadi Party names four
The Opposition alliance carefully crafted by the Samajwadi Party during the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls earlier this year seems to be unravelling.
The latest proof came as SP’s pre-poll allies, the Mahan Dal, Janwadi Party Socialist and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), were said to be unhappy at not finding the Samajwadi Party’s backing for the June 20 election to the U.P. legislative council for which 13 candidates were declared on Wednesday — nine by the BJP and four by the SP.
Mahan Dal chief Keshav Dev Maurya announced he was severing his ties with the SP while SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, who was conspicuous by his absence at the nomination when asked if he was unhappy said, he didn’t carry enough ‘political weight’ to express displeasure. The Janwadi Party socialist minced no words and said it felt cheated.
The Mahan Dal chief said he has decided to part ways with SP.
“I don’t think I am needed and so the alliance is off. Those who engage in pressure politics are being sent to Rajya Sabha, Vidhan Parishad,” said Keshav Dev, an OBC (other backward classes) leader.
He also hit out at SP nominee and former BJP minister Swami Prasad Maurya, describing him as a ‘puppet’, soon after Akhilesh Yadav had said his entry in the Vidhan Parishad (U.P. Legislative Council) would help the party in the upper house.
Janwadi Socialist party leader Sanjay Chauhan was next.
“We had contested against the BJP together. I wasn’t named a candidate for MLC despite the fact that during the 2022 U.P. polls I was promised a ticket to U.P. Council. We will now sit and discuss with the party our next course of action,” he said. SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar was said to be eyeing a ticket for his son Arvind Rajbhar.
Pressed for his reaction, he said, “I don’t have the capacity to ask for anything. We are not hungry for the Rajya Sabha or the Vidhan Parishad. In any case, we just have 6 MLAs. Had we got 20 to 25 MLAs, we would have exerted pressure.”
“Maango ussi se jo de de khushi se, kahe na kisi se (Ask from the person who gives willingly and doesn’t go around talking about it),” he said.
Not just alliance partners, even some of the SP’s own leaders are miffed with their party.
One of them is party veteran Rewati Raman Singh, who felt that his claim to a Rajya Sabha seat was denied as the party sent Javed Ali, RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary and backed independent candidate Kapil Sibal for RS.
“The party is united and fully behind our party chief,” an SP lawmaker said and added that the alliance partners would be placated.
As for BJP’s nine candidates, seven of them are ministers of the Yogi government 2.0 in Uttar Pradesh, including deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
The main opposition Samajwadi Party’s candidates include former BJP minister Swami Prasad Maurya. All the SP candidates filed their nominations on Wednesday.
The BJP has 66 members in the 100-member state legislative council.
So far, the BJP and the SP have named 13 candidates against as many vacancies. Party leaders indicated that all of them would win unopposed. Thursday is the last date for filing nominations.
“We have named nine candidates for MLC polls. If we don’t put up a 10th and if the Samajwadi Party doesn’t put up a fifth candidate, all 13 MLC candidates should be elected unopposed,” deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said.
Members of legislative assembly (MLAs) vote in these elections.
The BJP and allies that have 273 lawmakers are in a position to get nine MLCs elected. The SP and allies with 125 lawmakers are in a position to get four MLCs elected.
After this election, the BJP’s strength would rise to 72 in the council. Its dominance would further increase after governor Anandiben Patel nominates six members to the U.P. Council.
Apart from Keshav Prasad Maurya, the other ministers that the BJP named as MLC candidates include Chaudhary Bhupendra Singh, Daya Shankar Mishra ‘Dayalu’, JPS Rathore, Narendra Kashyap, Jaswant Saini and Danish Azad Ansari.
Lucknow BJP chief Mukesh Sharma and Dalit leader from Kannauj Banvarilal Dohre were among the surprise picks for MLC polls.
Reduced to 11 members at present, the opposition Samajwadi Party, decided to send Swami Prasad Maurya, a non-Yadav OBC who was the labour minister in the first Yogi government (2017-2022), to the U.P. Council.
“He is a senior leader, who has been a minister and leader of the opposition. He will be a strong opposition voice in the U.P. Council,” Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said.
Swami Prasad’s exit from the BJP ahead of the 2022 U.P. polls had triggered a mini revolt, with a few BJP ministers and lawmakers, too, following suit.
The SP also named Shahnawaz Khan alias Shibbu, a party member from Saharanpur and considered close to party veteran Azam Khan. Political circles saw it as yet another decision of the SP leadership to keep Khan in good humour. Azam’s supporters had earlier accused the party leadership of neglecting the Rampur lawmaker.
Azam Khan’s lawmaker son Abdullah Azam was present during the MLC poll nominations.
Mukul Yadav, son of Sobaran Yadav, the former SP lawmaker from Karhal in Mainpuri, also filed his nomination as did Jasmir Ansari, a former lawmaker from Sitapur. Karhal is the assembly constituency of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
“Nominations will close on Thursday and elections, if required, would take place on June 20,” said Brij Bhushan Dubey, returning officer for Council polls.
The 11 MLCs whose term is ending include six of the Samajwadi Party, three each of the BJP and the Bahujan Samaj Party and one of the Congress.
After the elections, the SP’s strength would be further reduced to nine MLCs. The BSP would be down to a solitary MLC while the Congress would be left without any representation in the U.P. council, a first since independence.
