Akhilesh Yadav, wife Dimple call on Shivpal ahead of Mainpuri bypoll

The meeting comes a day after Shivpal Yadav met his supporters and appealed to them to ensure Dimple Yadav’s victory

Kanpur: Days before the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll, Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav and his wife, party candidate Dimple Yadav, on Thursday met his estranged uncle, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSP-L) chief Shivpal Yadav.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav along with his wife and party candidate for Mainpuri by-election Dimple Yadav meet Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohiya) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav at his residence, in Etawah on Thursday. (ANI)

The meeting took place at Shivpal’s residence in the Yadavs’ ancestral village Saifai in Etawah district. The meeting comes a day after Shivpal met his supporters and appealed to them to ensure Dimple Yadav’s victory.

After the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, “Along with blessings of Netaji and elders of the family, the people of Mainpuri are with us.” He shared a picture with his uncle, wife and Shivpal’s son Aditya Yadav.

The bypoll to the seat was necessitated by the demise of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on October 10; Mainpuri is considered to be the party’s stronghold.

Shivpal Yadav had a bitter fallout with Akhilesh ahead of the 2017 Uttar Pradesh

assembly elections over control of the Samajwadi Party. He later floated his own party.

Shivpal and Akhilesh came together during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in March to take on the BJP, but after the elections, the relationship dipped. However, they were seen taking part in rituals together after Mulayam Singh Yadav’s death on October 10

The bypoll will be held on December 5, and the result will be announced on December 8.

The BJP fielded Raghuraj Singh Shakya, a confidante of Shivpal Yadav. Shivpal and his son were not present when Dimple filed her nomination on November 14.

Shivpal represents Jaswant Nagar assembly constituency that is part of Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency. He has maintained a close relationship in Mainpuri, where he used to represent Mulayam Singh Yadav in events whenever he was unavailable.

Mainpuri seat is not only Yadav dominated but a SP stranglehold, which played key role in shaping Mulayam Singh’s political career.